For many of us, we have decided to take responsiblity for our lives. We've started reading books, attending meetings and workshops, signing up for teleseminars and webinars, developing support systems and perhaps even going to counseling. We may have begun to identify a disconnect between the life we are living and the life we want to create.
Our efforts help to raise our awareness and make some changes, but ultimately we discover that even though our libraries contain more books and our email inboxes are full of newsletters and other offers, our lives are essentially the same. One of the most helpful tools I've come across to really break through the sameness and hone in on where my blocks are was presented at Breakthrough to Success by a guy named Jim Bunch. Jim is the founder of The Ultimate Game of Life or TUG for short. Jim suggests that we stay stuck because our environments don't support the action we need to take to further our growth. He has identified 9 environments in life and has developed an assessment of these environments and a variety of "games" around working on these environments to create shifts within us and identify the actions we need to take so we can win the Ultimate Game of Life. Jim's information stuck a chord with me at BTS and it sticks with me today. Whenever I am feeling stuck, I check in with myself and my environments to see where the blocks might be. You can learn more about the 9 environments through a free video series at the following link. https://ultimategame.infusionsoft.com/go/home/a1705/ After watching the video series again (it truly is great information), I decided to sign up for Jim's 28 Day Challenge once again. As luck would have it, I'm feeling a bit stuck at the same time he's running a great special for only $28. I've done it once before and already know it's well worth the price! Day 1 of the 28 Day Challenge begins with an assessment of our 9 environements. It goes on to provide thought provoking content in a less than 10 minute daily video along with daily action steps that support increasing health, wealth and happiness in our lives. For me, I know the 28 Day Challenge will provide the jump start I'm looking for to get me unstuck and level up my game! Here's to playing and winning the Ultimate Game of Life! Won't you join me? Be Clear Why You're Here. Clarify Your Purpose and Your Vision Why are you here? What is your purpose? Your vision? What are you meant to do? What are you passionate about? It is so easy to live our lives without knowing what we're really here to contribute to the world. Spending a little bit of time uncovering your purpose is certainly time well spent. I had the good fortune of developing my life purpose with Jack Canfield coaching me through the process at his Breakthrough to Success workshop. This process has helped me redesign the environments in my life and has helped to liiterally transform my life, my priorities, my goals and my experiences. I review my life purpose on a daily basis. It serves as the foundation of all my decisions, provides direction along my path, and keeps me on track. I've been using it in my work with teens with amazing results. I must admit that at times I feel cheated that I wasn't challenged to discover my life purpose until I turned 50. I wonder what my life would have been like if I had been asked to do the following exercise in my teens before my brain was hardwired and my creativity flourished! Then again, I am reminded of a poster I had hanging in my room during my teenage years which displayed this quote upon a background of sunshine and sunflowers: "Today is the first day of the rest of your life." And so it is! I am grateful that I have embraced that philosophy and that my days are now full of purpose and passion! How about you? Perhaps you will try this exercise. Perhaps you will share it with your teen. Contact me via the form below if you need some help you with this exercise or what's next! Life Purpose Exercise 1) List two of your unique personal qualities, such as passionate, creative and resourceful. 2) List one or two ways you enjoy expressing those qualities when interacting with others, such as to support and inspire. 3) Assume the world is perfect right now. What does this world look like? How is everyone interacting with everyone else? What does it feel like? This is a statement, in present tense, describing an ultimate condition, the perfect world as you see it and feel it. Remember a perfect world is a fun place to be! 4) Combine the three prior subdivisions of this paragranp into a single statement. Example: "To use my passion, creativity and resourcefulness to support and inspire others to connect with their essence, overcome limiting beliefs, discover their purpose, achieve success and create the life of their dreams! This life purpose exercise is reproduced with permission by the Jack Canfield Group and was presented to participants as part of the foundation work at Jack's BTS workshop (see link below). There are many ways to approach defining your life purpose. This version is from Arnold Patent who can be reached at www.arnoldpatent.com According to Virginia Satir, we need: 4 hugs a day for survival 8 hugs a day for maintenance 12 hugs a day for growth According to the Surgeon General, hugging is good for your health. According to the research on hugging, the best way to hug for the maximum physiological benefit is left ear to left ear, which puts us heart to heart. And the best part ... hugs are free!!! On the first day at Breakthrough to Success, we were introduced to the research on hugging. Jack Canfield and his staff demonstrated the best hugging technique that according to the reseach provided the maximum physiological benefit. Each of us were then given a lapel button that simply said "iHug" and were asked to pin it on our lapels. Jack then asked all 200 participants to stand up and practice hugging each other. Wierd, I thought. I had never quite experienced anything like this at any of the personal development or professional trainings I had attended. We were asked to participate in the hugging activity every morning to start our day. What started out as a very awkward few moments among strangers developed into a morning routine that literally changed the energy of the room and the bonding among the participants over the week. Many of us continue to wear our iHug buttons and are happy to teach people and demonstrate proper hugging for maximum benefit! I can't help but wonder what might happen in the world if each of us started our days with a hug ... in our families, our workplaces, our schools, our social gatherings, even our town budget meetings! My bet is that our human connection would deepen, compassion would grow, our decisions, attitudes and actions would relect more kindness towards each other and we would literally transform ourselves, others and our worlds, one hug at a time. Okay, so I've been called idealistic. I've been called a dreamer. But I simply can't help but wonder what might happen if we started an "iHug" movement! If you decide to give this a try, here are a couple of suggestions. Make the offer with a sign or a button (http://www.manifestingfornongurus.com/ihug-buttons) or an open arms gesture, or even ask, "Can I give you a hug?". Wait for the other person to respond and reciprocate before you impose your hugs on anyone. So, this hugging thing may seem strange to some of you. It may seem ridiculous. Too touchy feely. Embarassing. Awkward. Even impossible to incorporate. Some school personnel are worried about violations in policies on public displays of affection. Hmmmm ... seriously ... hugging is all natural, practically perfect, free, can be done anytime, anywhere and with anyone ... and the benefits are far reaching, transformational even! I encourage you to try it for a week. Or a month. One of the BTS participants took it back to his staff meetings in a major corporation, another into her school, another home to her family. The results were transformational for all. I wonder if e-hugs work as well. Perhaps you will let me know :) ((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((YOU))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((ME))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) Or how about spending your day off like this guy did? In addition to my coaching practice, I coordinate a Teen Clinic and Community Outreach Education Program for teens around pregnancy prevention. I am pleased to say that we sit at the top of our nation's teen pregnancy rate list. I am also confident that my program could serve as a model for pregnancy prevention programs across the country. It includes most all the components of "proven effective approaches" as outlined by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy along with some unique approaches and insights! In my clinic, we are now seeing a higher rate of teens seeking services before or shortly after their first sexual experience, in contrast to a decade ago when most teens reported being sexually active for a year before seeking contraception. I attribute this to our outreach education program, an effective peer education program, collaboration with key stakeholders, the use of technology as a way to decrease barriers to information and as well as our focus to eliminate access barriers to effective educational and clinical services for teens. All that said, we are seeing an interesting rise in teen pregnancy in older teens. This trend is also happening across the country. This begs the question ... why? With several new pregnancies among our older teens over the past 6 weeks, me and my teen staff sat down to examine the issues and begin to develop a plan to approach this new target audience. We've interviewed a number of teen moms and newly pregnant teens to gain insight into the thoughts behind their pregnancies. The concensus seems to be that although most of them did not actively pursue pregnancy, there were thoughts in their heads that involved a lack of vision for the future and a feeling of disconnect. Some of our contacts expressed feeling like they didn't really have much to look forward to and couldn't see a clear path for their future. Of the girls that had given birth, all of them expressed that even though they totally loved their children, they wished they had postponed pregnancy and spent some time and energy figuring out a plan for their life that would have provided a more stable foundation in which to raise a child. Also interesting was a lack of excitement or commitment to their partners and a feeling that if their relationship didn't work out, they fully intended to care for their child on their own. Here's where my passion kicks in! I am in the process of developing a curriculum using the Success Principles for Teens by Jack Canfield to help provide kids with a process to help them discover a sense of passion and purpose along with system of goal setting and developing an action plan that will help them reach their goals. Those goals will most likely include having a healthy relationship and raising children for most teens, but I'm thinking that the timeline may be a little different than the current trend shows. I also believe, based on what I've witnessed in my work, that underneath unintended pregnancy, risk behavior and academic disengagement lay beliefs that limit an individual from reaching their fullest potential. The Success Principles provide ways to identify, break through and transcend limiting beliefs and get to the other side to a place of enhanced self-esteem, confidence and personal fulfillment. This interest and my current project goes well beyond the scope of teen and unintended pregnancy and far beyond my coaching clients. I am also using the Success Principles in the work I do with court involved youth, in the class I teach to youth at risk of dropping out of high school, and kids who are high achievers but don't have a clear direction. It is my vision to see the Success Principles for Teens incorporated into a curriculum that is delivered in classrooms and is incorporated into youth services all across the country! Check out the Success Principles for Teens in the Book section at If you decide to purchase the book for the teen in your life, be forewarned! I get consistent feedback from teens that "the cover is ugly" ... "the tilte is geeky" ... and "I wouldn't be carrying this book around to show my friends". However they all tell me that the content is pretty cool, the stories are inspirational and that every kid should learn this stuff. The consensus is that the material is way more useful than math, english or biology :) For more information about my Success Principles for Teens Project visit: : http://www.crowdrise.com/successpriniciplesfo/fundraiser/trishajacobson Read a book to a child.
Open their imaginations and fuel a love of reading. If you don't have a child in your family or in your circle of friends, here are some places you can contact that would surely be appreciative of your time & offer of story telling: -your local library children's program -a daycare/childcare provider -the nearest branch of literacy volunteers Revisit the fun of reading out loud and the enjoy the delight & wonder you will see in a child's eyes! "There are many little ways to enlarge a child's world. Love of books is the best of all." ~Jacqueline Kennedy A Year in Positive Action is brought to you by Positivity Nation at www.positivitynation.com. I'd like to introduce you to Jana Stanfield. I met Jana at Jack Canfield's Breakthrough to Success workshop. Jana, also known as "the Queen of Heavy Mental", opened up all our sessions with amazing energy, song, dance, some humor and an opportunity to reflect on the messages of her music. Her music and lyrics still provide me with daily inspiration.
I use one of her songs as part of a journaling activity I do with middle school and high school kids to introduce goal setting and discuss the blocks that may stand between ourselves and our goals, our hopes and our dreams. Perhaps you will join me in this activity? Get out pen and paper. Then watch, listen, enjoy the music and hear the message. Then answer the questions: What would I do today if I were brave? What would I do this year if I had no fear? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itJR_4y2PZI What Would I Do Today If I Were Brave? is from Jana's album, What Would You Do This Year If You Had No Fear. Visit her website and download a free MP3 verison of the song at http://www.janastanfield.com/ In this short video clip, Jack Canfield talks about childhood influences and how, while learning how to function and protect ourselves in our environments, we also learn how to squelch our impulse to act and disconnect, unknowingly, from our passion and develop fear. How would you answer Jack's question, "If you could have anything you want and there were no real limitations, what would it be?" We all have an answer. Kids, teens and adults alike. What's yours? And what are you doing to create your answer? http://www.jackcanfield.com/media-center/videos/62-the-jack-canfield-team/video/1-Jack+Canfield%3A+The+Success+Principles.html |
Transition on Purpose
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