Some of the highlights of the talk:

* Behar stressed the importance of values and being true to yourself.  He believes that’s one of the core secrets of success (as do I!!)

* He talked about expanding Starbucks into locations such as Tokyo and not really knowing how to do that at first.  Yet, he INSPIRED people to help him since they connected with him on a human level.  They saw his desire to help people and wanted to help him in return.  Great lesson in life.  People will help you (and want to help you) if you can find a way to connect with them on a very basic, human level. I preach this to my clients constantly.  If you’re hoping to break into a new career, for example, look for someone else in that field and ask them to help or mentor you.  The trick is to INSPIRE them to want to help you.  I teach my clients how to do that.

* The job of a great leader, in Behar’s opinion, is to constantly (DAILY) remind the ‘partners’ (that’s what Starbucks calls their employees) about the values of the organization and to live those values on a regular basis.

* In addition, he talked about ‘servant leadership’ and making sure he wasn’t just leading his team to accomplish the company’s goals...but to also lead them to accomplish their own personal goals.  I love that!

* He also taked about “inner knowing” and the importance of listening to your intuition (although he didn’t use that exact word). 

* Finally, Behar said he was really in the people business and his true desire was to build better humans...so to speak...not just build better coffee. 

Is this refreshing or what?  No wonder Starbucks is so successful!  I don’t even drink coffee yet I love that place.  It’s a cool place to hang out with your laptop and write while drinking a healthy Odwalla smoothie (smart, Starbucks, to offer options for non-coffee folks like me) I think people like it there since it has a good vibe.  The employess seem genuinely happy and the whole place is usually buzzing with energy.  Is it the caffeine or is it simply the happy/relaxed environment?  At any rate, I believe customers are attracted to businesses that feel good to them. 

How can you apply this all to your own life, even if you don’t run a business? 

First of all, get clear about WHO you are and the life you want to live.  KNOW your values and make sure your life is a reflection of those values.

“Lead” yourself by constantly reminding yourself of your values (the same way Behar reminded his empployees on a daily basis).  We all need reminders and remembering what you value is KEY.  Write down a few of your values and frame them by your bathroom sink.  READ the list while brushing your teeth each morning.  It’s a very simple way to ground yourself each day.

Think beyond yourself and try to help others in some way.  I’ve always said that the key to uncovering your ideal career is to think about how you can serve others.  What’s a gift you have that other people could beneift from greatly?  Share that gift with the world and design a career around it.  Too many people think about how they can make $ instead of how they can make a difference.  But, look at Starbucks as a shining example....when you focus on making a difference you can make a lot of $. 

Check out this list from the book and pick up a copy for yourself.  All net proceeds from the book are being dontated to a couple of causes close to Behar’s heart:

10 Principles of Personal Leadership - from Howard Behar’s book It’s Not About The Coffee

1. Know Who You Are: Wear One Hat
Our success is directly related to our clarity and honesty about who we are, who we’re not, where we want to go, and how we’re going to get there. When organizations are clear about their values, purpose, and goals, they find the energy and passion to do great things.

2. Know Why You’re Here: Do It Because It’s Right, Not Because It’s Right for Your Resume
The path to success comes from doing things for the right reasons. You can’t succeed if you don’t know what you’re trying to accomplish and without everyone being aligned with the goal. Look for purpose and passion in yourself and the people you lead. If they’re not there, do something.

3. Think Independently: The Person Who Sweeps the Floor Should Choose the Broom
People are not “assets,” they are human beings who have the capacity to achieve results beyond what is thought possible. We need to get rid of rules—real and imagined—and encourage the independent thinking of others and ourselves.

4. Build Trust: Care, like You Really Mean It
Caring is not a sign of weakness but rather a sign of strength, and it can’t be faked—within an organization, with the people we serve, or in the local or global community. Without trust and caring we’ll never know what could have been possible. Without freedom from fear, we can’t dream and we can’t reach our potential.

5. Listen for the Truth: The Walls Talk
Put the time into listening, even to what’s not said, and amazing results will follow. You’ll know what you’re customers want, you’ll know why the passion is missing from your organization, you’ll learn solutions to problems that have been sitting there waiting to be picked.

6. Be Accountable: Only the Truth Sounds like the Truth
No secrets, no lies of omission, no hedging and dodging. Take responsibility and say what needs to be said, with care and respect.

7. Take Action: Think like a Person of Action, and Act like a Person of Thought
Find the sweet spot of passion, purpose, and persistence. “It’s all about the people” isn’t an idea, it’s an action. Feel, think, do. Find the balance, but act.

8. Face Challenge: We Are Human Beings First
Use all the principles to guide you during the hardest times. If the challenge is too big, if you’re stuck, take smaller bites. But remember to put people first, and you’ll find the guidance you need.

9. Practice Leadership: The Big Noise and the Still, Small Voice
Leading can be the noisy, “I’m here!” kind of thing. But don’t ever forget that leaders are just ordinary human beings. Don’t let the noise crowd out the truth. Listen to your still, small voice. Let quiet be your guide.

10. Dare to Dream: Say “Yes,” the Most Powerful Word in the World
Big dreams mean big goals, big hopes, big joys. Say “yes” and enjoy all that you are doing, and help others to do the same.

“If ANYTHING could happen in your life over the next year, what would thrill you?  In other words, what changes would you like to see in your life or career?” Check out some of the replies below!

I’m going to leave this page on my website all throughout 2009, by the way.  So, try finding your answer (and remember the # so you can easily find it again)...and please know your wish has been ordered!  It’s in print so that makes it official, right?  Come back to this page often to remind yourself of your most precious wish for 2009.

Here’s what people said they MOST wanted to happen next year:

1. Have a child.
2. I’d love to find a job that I enjoyed and that would be flexible enough for me to take care of things at home. 
3. to fall in love
4. A balanced life with goals, I would like to get more pleasure and contentment out of life, take nice trips, have an abundance of spending money, Iwould love to make NEW friends and have better relationships.. 
5. new job-career
6. I’d like my life to have more stibility and routine in it so the family could function better. 
7. Meet the right guy or travel to at least one of the places on my “to see” list.
8. Financial abundance to be a stay-at-home mom while still being able to afford nice things for my home, family vacations, etc. 
9. A new man, new home, great job, fitness, routinely out with nature and debt free
10. I would like to have a steady and large income
11. My business would become a success! I would like to have more time to spend with boyfriend and to maintain relationships with family & friends.
12. find a job as a college advisor OR a job that incorporates photography and creativity, without requiring too much technical skill or stress that in some way involves or benefits children, people living struggling with global poverty or health issues or the environment
13. Reduce my work hours
14. would love to see my photography career evolve somehow. 
15. *Improve & become much more satisfied w/ my own work performance, & more highly regarded by peers & supervisor, thus happier & more proud of my work in these last few years before retirement * Commit so well to a health plan that I become slim & fit & attractive even to myself * Become emotionally ready to want to find a male friend/companion/partner with whom I can regain trust, commitment, happiness, & a satisfying sex life *De-clutter & make upgrades to my house w/out losing its “home” feel for my sons or me; get a handle on my paperwork packrat problem; integrate family heirlooms while also updating decor
16. Learn to take great care of myself AND create and maintain excellent standards. 
17. get to goal weight & maintain it, start making money as a writer
18. I could use a little “Umph” in my life right now. Things are good but they could be better. My weight is okay but would be better if I lost 10-15 pounds. My house is presentable but would be better if the basement was organized. My spiritual life is blessed but if I’d Bible read/pray more consistently.....you get the idea. It’s not a mess but with a little consistent effort, it could be more. 
19. Make a full life transition--make my move to a new city and have a full social life with friends and family to do things with! 
20. Earn more money! Buy my first home. Create an ideal living/work situation for my disabled teenager. 
21. Get started in a new career, lose weight, get my house under control, find new interesting friend groups that are like minded. 
22. 1. Lose six more pounds (already lost 8) 2. Finish decluttering paperwork in my filing cabinet (I am dealing with these right now and hope to have them accomplished in the beginning of 2009)
23. taking accountability to self as importantly as accountability to others. 
24. I am reducing my debt and will have attained most of financial restructuring by May 09. I have strong concerns about spending enough time with my older Mother and my daughter who is graduating from high school. My husband also works a lot of hours and time with him is limited. I would like a career that involves some traveling to new places, but also involves my online health certification business, but also provides insurance benefits and retirement. I am 3 years away from being vested in my current position. It has been suggested I work toward a vice presidency position, but am concerned about the time that be required of me
25. Getting back to my creative, funloving old self. 
26. Become fit and lean. Do work that I love and that matters to me (preferably teach literacy) and to work in an environment that I enjoy being in--a private office with windows. To work with truly good people. 
27. 2009: 1.) Manifest great new relationship that will lead to marriage. 2.) Achieve fantastic Trainer/Educator full time position in public speaking, leadership coaching and/or technical training for established company I can learn from. 3.) Take an exotic 2 week vacation to Turkey with friends. 
28. I am in the beginning of a joyful relationship with my boyfriend and I would be THRILLED if it justs keeps getting better and better (as it has been for these last few months). I would also love to buy a house in a neighborhood/area I LOVE. 
29. That I would feel satisfied with my relationship, or kno what I should do to improve it. That I would better knoww how to look inside for my fulfillment. 
30. -decision about grad school -smaller, easier to manage house -pay off credit card debt
31. I’d like to own a thriving business and the changes would need to be finding the passion to pursue the business no matter what it takes. 
32. Find my path of fulfillment, joy, and peace on this journey.
33. I would love to get a job that makes a difference in people’s lives that actually pays the bills.
34. That’s a hard one. I guess I need to do more dreaming.
35. more money, confidence, power
36. To see my small business become wildly successful
37. My goal is to be full of energy, yet calm and confident. I want to have enough energy to meet my goals, such as making well over six figures, getting super healthy, and taking care of our new baby. 
38. Healthier lifestyle and getting out of debt
39. the job ive been waiting for and the partner i crave! 
40. publish a book; get a full time tenured university teaching position; and/or my business takes off
41. My two autistic sons would recover or make significant progress with their unique issues.
42. owning a home of my own. 
43. Clear out the non-essentials in my life so that I have the freedom to create a structure for myself and have the freedom to be spontaneous. 
44. to know what i want and go for it
45. having a career/business that fit my personality and my passions
46. Be financialy secure and travel
47. Find a direction and purpose for my work life. 
48. Create a career that would allow me to work from home, financially support my family, leave me with enough energy for family/friend time, and allow me to pursue some other interests that aren’t money-makers. I’d like to be in a helping/service profession and not selling something. 
49. get organized so I wouldn’t feel so overwhelmed all the time
50. Work in a smaller company with more professional people in a more defined/mature dept/company
51. Getting out of debt and achieving some life balance
52. career change
53. Get a new job in a fabulous location
54. need to improve income which has been decreasing in part because of economic condition in Michigan
55. Marriage. 
56. Attract my ideal mate
57. more JOY in my marriage
58. lose weight
59. get healthy
60. To find my life partner
61. Figuring out what I want to be when I grow up and getting a clean bill of health.
62. Becoming debt free, buying my first home, making more money, getting a handle on time management, becoming more organized, looking better (being able to afford to pamper myself, buy nice clothes, getting my hair and nails done professionally)
63. Having my ideal career and keeping the balance I currently have...improvements =home and income. Already working on home improvements and de cluttering and researching new work options. My current income is temporary and I want/need more. I will focus more on the career after I get my home minimized of items and updated. 
64. Finding the love of my life.
65. If I met a guy and was in a solid, loving relationship. 
66. Hit a financial jackpot so that we can comfortably buy a lovely house! 
67. My children finding life partners. More grand children. Getting out of debt forever. Securing financial stabiliy for the future. Opportunity to travel.
68. job more in line with my spirit, identifying what that career track would be and then landing the job
69. Extended travel in foreign countries; I did it when I was 22, put off going back to school for another degree for a year as I thought my education was more important than schooling. 
70. That my business would really take off and generate enough money to live on. 
71. weight loss and trying to find a new career path
72. A fabulous new role that uniquely fits me and the things I value and desire (at the next level of the organization, responsibility, leadership support, incredible manager, highly valued subject area, an office rather than a cube, more money, great teammates, clarity of objective, etc.)
73. Marriage/Engagement Successful new business Money in the bank A new real estate investment Successful family relationships with planned get togethers
74. I would like to make the Yosemite quilt I promised my father 6 years ago. I’ve got the fabric, but haven’t started the quilt yet. Want it to be perfect. Afraid that it won’t be, so won’t start it. I know that, but still won’t start it. 
75. To visit and experience 3 of my 7 Natural Wonders of the World. 
76. Peace, regardless of circumstances.
77. I would like to retire from my current job with enough financial security to pursue my next calling at my own personal pace, to include ‘trying’ out different options before committing.
78. I would be thrilled if my business was filled with coaches like you. I have had a VA business for several years, and I am now focusing on a more defined target market. I want to learn what services business coaches are looking for from a VA and how to penetrate that market. 
79. Locating a management position in the elder living industry. I think I want to help self sufficient over 65 individuals manage their money, help them understand medicare, support their personal lives and still feel self- sufficient.
80. More money. 
81. landing my perfect career that is filled with passion and purpose
82. Global warming averted; children happy and self supporting, engaged, contributing; feeling of joy or being thrilled
83. FIX CREDIT, BUY CONDO, SCHOOL FULL TIME
84. Growth of my new consulting business
85. I want to get very clear about what I really want, most specifically around career/work. I want to feel excited about what I’m doing. 
86. Find a new career where my talents and creativity are used and that is financially stable with benefits and retirement...as good as that can be right now:(
87. Being organized and getting rid of junk. 
88. Selling my TV pilot which would lead to studios looking at my other projects. 
89. more of what i already have! 
90. discovering the job, mate and location that provide me with life balance and totally fills my life with passion and feeds my spirit
91. I would love to find out what I want to do in life, what I want to be, what will make ME happy and then put it into action.
92. A little more stability in finances, relationships and living situations .For the past four years nothing has been steady and constant. 
93. to have transitioned from my current job to earning income from my business that is greater than that from my job.
94. Finish writing a book and actually submit it. I have written loads of childrens books but I never submit them. 
95. Meet someone, fall in love and have a healthy relationship.
96. Get out of debt and New job .
97. improve the quality of my life/stuck in a rut .
98. What could happen? 1) Card decks completed & published & marketed; 2) Book well-on-the-way to the above;3) Increased income allowing me to work a job p.t.w/health benefits (v. f.t.)
99. My own coaching Biz
100. I would love to find my ideal job - one that doesn’t involve toxic people who drain me on a daily basis. 
101. I would find a job that suits me and allows me to do research and pays well. 
102. getting a regular gig singing jazz standards in a classy place

Seeing all of these answers INSPIRED me to add another feature to my new Inner Circle Coaching Program. Here’s what I am thinking about....I’m going to give each client their own password protected page (so the whole world can’t see it, unless they want to share it) to immortalize their goals in one place!  Plus, we can include a photo or image that represents their MOST important goals.  So, the client can visit their page and be reminded of what they said they wanted....I love it.  What do you think? Let me know if this is something you’d want in the program and I’ll add it.

I asked each client to email me EVERY DAY to report in and let me know if they took action. If they didn’t report in, I called them to see why.  Extreme accountability!

You know, YOU could choose something to focus on for the next 30 days and coach yourself....Ever thought of that?  Or, empower a friend to hold you accountable by emailing her each day with progress notes.  Return the favor for her, too!

The trick is to choose ONE topic and hit it hard.  Come up with daily actions that will help you make progress with your topic.  For example, if you’d like to improve your FINANCES over a 30 day period...come up with a list of daily actions you could take to address the money zone of your life.  The action step might be the SAME each day, or it may be different.

You may want to simply set aside 30 minutes each day to do financially related things, such as paying bills, researching investment strategies, negotiating lower rates with credit card companies, etc.  Just make sure you take action each day for 30 days.

Of course, having a coach is nice since you’ll get a ton of ideas for the “daily actions” that will have the most impact.  But, please know you CAN coach yourself, too.  Give it a go.

Here’s a partial excerpt from the letter I sent the participants toward the end of the 30 days.  The insights might apply to YOU, too, so I’d like to share this letter with a larger audience...ENJOY!

* * * *

THE LETTER:

Congrats on nearing the completion of your 30 days of coaching!

Committing to taking action every day for 30 days almost always brings up your “blocks”.  I see this each and every time I offer this program.

In other words, in order to consistently take action on anything that truly matters to you (such as practicing self care DAILY or writing DAILY or exercising DAILY) you must have a CLEAR PATH with very few obstacles in your way.

It’s the OBSTACLES in life that keep you stuck.

One of the secrets of my coaching style is to help people REMOVE whatever prevents them from naturally having whatever they desire.  If you can remove the roadblocks....everything becomes much easier and life begins to flow.

SO, that’s the experiment.  You’ve been forced to SEE your own, unique “blocks” and obstacles this month.  Now, you must decide what you plan to do about it and how you’ll remove the blocks.

Here are some of the blocks I saw in many of you…

1.  Work stress

Many of you finally realized the toll work has been taking on your life.  You cannot give your best self to work each day and expect your personal life to thrive.  You can, however, do an excellent job at work without giving blood!  In other words, some of you learned the importance of setting BOUNDARIES and raising your STANDARDS at work.  One of you even attracted an added team member for your department to relieve some of the heavy workload and stress...after secretly wishing for this for YEARS.  It finally and somewhat magically happened this month. That’s the power of intention and law of attraction.

2.  Fear

A few of you shared your fears with me about change. If you find yourself saying you want something but are unable to take action or feeling scared in the process, it’s very possible you don’t TRULY want what you think you want.  OR, you are scared of what the change may bring your way. The way through that is to have a good conversation with yourself (or your coach) about what you specifically fear regarding the change.  For example, one of you wanted to move away from a negative housing situation (a former boyfriend lived next door).  But, you found yourself scared of the unknown so you dragged your feet a little at times.  Fortunately, the daily accountability of checking in with your coach helped.  To make the changes a bit easier, though, I guided you through a visualization of how your new home COULD be...and how nurturing and exciting and wonderful it will be if you simply allow it.

3.  Health issues

Without fail, 2 or 3 of the 10 participants of this program ALWAYS get sick.  It happens each year I offer this...no matter the time of year (flu season or not!) Now, this is one of those sneaky “blocks” you have to keep an eye on.  Be honest with yourself and notice when you catch a cold or get sick.  Getting sick gives you a good excuse to slow down or even stop whatever you are doing.  And that’s what some of you secretly want.  Hey, I know I’ve been guilty of that before, too.  Whenever I’m working TOO much or going TOO fast, I tend to catch a cold and then thoroughly enjoy spending a few days in bed recovering.  The trick is to get back on the horse as soon as you’re well and to *not* forget your goals.  Another trick is to RAISE YOUR STANDARDS regarding health and take extra good care of yourself at all times so you aren’t susceptible to the germs floating around in the air!

As a coach, I use my intuition all day long with just about every client, by the way.
In fact, we all use our intuition whether we realize it or not.  Anytime you follow a hunch or have a gut reaction, chances are it’s your intuition speaking.

So, when Laura offered a two hour online workshop the other day, I jumped at the chance.

Here’s what I learned....

Laura said intuition is particularly well tuned in two main areas of your life.  One is your area of expertise and the other is the area of greatest neurotic preoccupation.

So, if you’re a doctor (your area of expertise is medicine), any intuitive vibes you have about your patients of medicine are probably spot on. OK, so this is good....

And, if you worry a lot about something (this is what she refers to as the area of greatest neurotic preoccupation) such as being flat broke, your intuition will guide you toward that outcome.  Oh no!  Not what you want, right? Which brings us to another book Laura wrote called Welcome To Your Crisis. Laura wrote that book to help people deal with transitions or crisis points in their lives.

The goal of studying intuition is to use it to your advantage and to be more conscious of it...so you WON’T unconsciously intuit and draw to you the thing you worry about the most.

Does that make sense?

I see a lot of parallels between intuition and law of attraction.  Whatever you focus on will EXPAND and GROW in your life.  So, if you worry (and focus) on being flat broke, you will attract and create that result (or some sort of money probs) in your life at some point.  As Laura says, your intuition will guide you toward it as well.

So, let’s be more aware of how intuition works so we can all use it to our advantage.

The MAIN topic of her workshop, this time, was on the topic of telepathy.

Now, telepathy is something I’ve been practicing for a long time...without even knowing I was doing it!  That’s the first thing I learned.

Telepathy is sending and receiving messages to people or groups using your mind.  And, I do that all the time.

If you’re a client, you’ve possibly participated in one of my coaching exercises that I call “spirit to spirit conversations” in which you have a conversation (in your mind) with a target person or audience such as your future mate or group of potential clients.

For fun, I remember having one of these conversations nearly 8 or 9 years ago when I wanted to coach people from other countries.  So, I visualized a room full of people from various countries and saw myself talking with them about coaching, how to find me (via my website) and what I could do for them. I also tried to listen to them (in my mind) to intuit what they might say or their reasons for wanting to hire a coach.

Then, and I kid you not, the very next day I had 5 emails in my box all with the same title “free sample session” and each person was from a different country.  WOWIE.

Ever since then, I’ve wondered how the heck I did that.  Well, now I know.  It’s called telepathy.

Here’s how it works:

1.  Choose a target.  Do you want to talk with your future spouse? Unborn child?  Potential investors?  Clients?  Neighbor?  Boss?  Someone you already know or someone you hope to know?

2.  Choose a goal or response you want.  Do you want your target person (or group) to do something specific such as invest in your company and hand you a million dollar check?  Be very specific.

3.  Look for any hidden agendas you might have.  Let’s say your target is a boss from work.  Your goal is to get a promotion, so you “talk” with him/her about it in your mind.  But, do you really have another agenda such as being praised or recognized or getting a corner office?  Is that what you REALLY want?  If you got the promotion but still went without recognition and remained in your small cubicle, would you be happy?  Look for and eliminate any hidden agendas so your TRUE goal is able to stand alone.

4.  Next step, is to again, refine your goal and choose ONE.

5.  Be aware of the message you want to send to your target.  Use ALL of your senses.  So, if you want your target (boss) to give you a corner office (your real goal), think about what that would be like, see yourself sitting in the corner office, notice any smells (are there fresh flowers on the desk, for example, with a note of congrats), notice any sounds, etc.  Use ALL of your senses and EMBODY your goal.  Experience it as if it’s already happening...Again, this is similar to law of attraction.

6.  Next, be aware of your target.  See this person as separate (not you).  Jump into their experience and notice how they are receiving what you are sending.  Do they seem excited you are in your corner office?  Or, is something quite off?  Notice and use any info you can intuit to alter your approach or the message you are trying to send. 

7.  Repeat the process until the message you are sending is well received by your target.

Yes, I know some of this may be confusing to understand since it’s tough to explain.  But, I wanted to write about it anyway....I’ve been instinctively using this process for years without realizing it was telepathy and it was nice validation to hear the actual steps were so similar to the ones I used.  I also learned how to tweak my process a bit more and make it more effective.

Another tip!  You can use telepathy to RECEIVE messages, not just send them.  So, try using telepathy to converse with people with messages for you.

If you’ve been a client, this may remind you of the “old, wise person” visualization I like to use...which I learned, by the way, at a meditation retreat. I love to learn, can you tell??! 

In your mind (with your eyes closed) try to see yourself on a beach, in the forest or any peaceful place you enjoy.  Focus on seeing yourself first.

Then, see a wise, old man (if you are a man) or a woman (if you are a woman) in the distance.  Walk up to that person and have a conversation.  Assume this wise person has something she’s been wanting you to hear or know and simply LISTEN.  You’ll get some GREAT insights and messages if you do.

I’ll write more about the wise person exercise in another post!

Hope you can benefit from these thoughts about Laura Day, intuition, telepathy and visualization.  If you enjoyed this article, please let me know!

Kiva allows individuals to make loans as low as $25 to low-income entrepreneurs in the developing world (microfinance). By doing so, individuals like you provide affordable working capital for the poor (money to buy a sewing machine, livestock, etc.), empowering them to earn their way out of poverty. 

It’s a new, direct and sustainable way to fight global poverty, and the way I see it, I get a higher return on $25 helping someone build a future than the interest my checking account pays. 

Please check out the site: http://kiva.org.  If you need more “reputable” validation than my recommendation , know that they have received great press in publications ranging from The Wall Street Journal to NPR to BusinessWeek.

Has this ever happened to you? 

If so, would you say you were THRIVING or just trying to SURVIVE?  Grocery shopping while you’re famished is never a good idea since it creates a “mini crisis” and even if you have the best intentions, it’s much more difficult to stick to a healthy eating plan.  All you want, in that moment, is the first edible item you set your eyes on.  Am I right?  It takes a very conscious effort to grocery shop (while you’re hungry) without adding unhealthy items to your basket.  We’ve all been there.  It’s about survival, in the moment. 

I believe many, many people are merely surviving in most of the critical areas of life.  They’re backed up against a wall with their finances, health, careers, relationships, energy etc...So, they do whatever they feel they need to do to get by/survive each day. And, in doing so, many rules of reason go out the window.  After all, in a crisis, there are no rules.  And, whenever you’re in survival mode, you’re in a crisis.  Does any of this resonate with you?

Take a look at your own life.  Where are you truly thriving and where are you merely surviving?  To answer that question, let’s clarify what it means to thrive or survive.

Thriving happens when you have more than enough of what you need.  Think about it.  If you have plenty of money in your savings account and extra cash leftover each month, after you pay the bills, you’d probably feel pretty good.  Few worries and few cares revolve around your finances since you have plenty of money.  You’re able to plan vacations, knowing you’ll have the funds to pay for it.  You are thriving in the money department of your life.

Surviving is another story. This is how most people live, when it comes to finances.  If you barely get by each month financially and have credit card debt, little savings and lots of worries about money, you are doing your best to simply get by each day.  Because you’re in “crisis mode” /survival mode, some rules of reason go out the window and you actually overspend by running up your credit cards (since you need money) with high interest rates.  Sure, you *know* it’s not a wise move to spend money you don’t have, especially with an interest rate attached to it, but you don’t care.  You are “starving” in the money quadrant of your life, so you’ll do whatever it takes to feed the hunger.

Now, I could show you examples of thriving versus striving in all areas of your life.  But, I think you get the point.  So, think about it.  Are you thriving at work or are you amazed you’re able to “survive” another day since you feel so depleted most of the time?  Are you thriving at home or do you feel burdened and stressed out by clutter?  How about your energy level?  Do you have more than enough energy to do whatever you want or are you constantly pumped up on caffeine since it’s the only way to drag your body through the day?

There’s a lot to think about!

I’d like to challenge YOU to turn the corner and THRIVE in all areas of your life this year.  For starters, pick ONE key area (such as finances, energy, home, relationships, etc) and get crystal clear about what it will take to actually THRIVE.  Might be a good topic to discuss with a friend or write about in your journal.  Personally, I tend to meditate on this sort of topic and then visualize the results I want to create. Any of the above ideas will work. Just spend some time thinking about it.

Then, make a decision to THRIVE in your chosen area of life and get clear about what needs to change to REMOVE crisis mode.  So, if you chose finances, you might want to remove all facets of crisis mode by creating a budget and cutting back your spending habits.

Here’s what’s fun about this....When you remove the triggers that push you into a crisis/survival mode, your true essence will emerge!  What is your true essence, you ask?  Your TRUE purpose is to THRIVE.  So, when you stop surviving, notice how much easier it is to thrive.

To give your thrive mode a boost, try ADDING some actions that will help.  Using the financial example, great “thriving” actions might be to create a savings account, asking for a gigantic raise at work, moving into a much more affordable home or selling items on ebay or craigslist.

Remember, you’ll feel like you’re thriving when you have more than enough of what you need.  It’s up to YOU to decide how much “more than enough” means to you.

Train yourself to expect more out of life than mere survival.  Create a nice, comfy cushion of money, energy, friends, love, ideas, career fulfillment, health, hobbies, free time and joy.