A Time In Life Of A Life Coach

The Art of Expression

bruno@brunologreco.com (Bruno LoGreco) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 08:44:00 PST

Every now and again I write about something that makes absolutely no sense. This happens when I have an urge to write but I don’t have a topic to write about. I guess that’s what is referred to as creative writing - writing that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, and technical forms of literature. But some how by the time I finish writing my thought, what I believe didn’t make sense starts to make sense.

I think what I am trying to say is that I miss writing just for writing. Free to write anything, anyway it comes out. There was a time when nobody knew about this blog. It was a hidden place on the Internet, a blog somewhere in cyberspace. It didn’t even have an incoming link from my life coaching website. Without eyes reading, I wrote anything and sometimes it really didn’t make any sense, it just felt good to spit out my thoughts.

I’m an advocate for creative expression. I believe everybody should have a source of expression. It could be anything from playing a musical instrument, creating art, writing, singing, it really could be anything that works for you. I have a few of my own. Writing is my primary source. I also play the saxophone although I want to learn how to play the flute. I love playing rock band, and jamming on the guitar. Baking and cooking is definitely up there, as is creating a piece of art. It just feels so good after every experience. I feel relaxed and centered.

I started this post without a thought - a blank canvas for me to express whatever I was feeling. Now I see why I wrote what I did. It’s a reminder to me: How important it is to express my authentic self. To continue to write from the heart and to let things happen the way it’s meant to be.

Merry Christmas

New York, Where Dreams Are Made From

bruno@brunologreco.com (Bruno LoGreco) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 08:14:00 PST

New York is an incredible city. It has a lot to offer just about anyone from any walk of life. That’s why people from around the world flock to it. They say it’s the city where dreams come true and where you could reinvent yourself again and again, and make it each time. It’s the city that never sleeps.

A brilliant display of pyrotechnics rang in 2009. I stood watching - 39 stories above the streets of Manhattan on a balcony in sub-freezing temperatures. I was awed by the sheer magnitude and beauty of the city. My inspiration grew with each burst and boom from the pyrotechnics that illuminated the skies. I was dazzled, I was amazed - I just knew 2009 was to be an incredible year, and it was.

I rang in the New Year inspired and motivated to shoot for the Stars. I got a taste of television in 2008 and I wanted more of it, and that’s exactly what happened. In 2009 I made many appearances on the hit reality show, Style By Jury. Month after month we taped candidates making huge internal and external transformations. I fulfilled my 2009 wish, and now I have another one.

New Years Eve I will make another wish for 2010 here in New York. I know there are no limits to what I can achieve. The only limit is my imagination. Anything is possible as long as I do something about it, and I am hungry for it. Experience tells me that if I continue to follow my heart – the passion I have for what I do, I will see another dream, another wish come true.

New York is an incredible city and where dreams are made from, but the truth is it doesn’t really matter where you’re from. You don’t have to move to New York to see dreams come true. Dreams become true because of passion - the passion you have in your heart for what you do. I visit New York only. Maybe it’s enough to give me the inspiration and motivation I need to fulfill my dreams, but so far in Toronto is where my dream have become true.

At the stroke of midnight on New Years Eve, make a wish no matter how unreal it may seem. Imagine what the wish looks like and take a snapshot - an image of it. Keep that image in your mind. My hope and wish for you in the New Year is that your wish come true.

Happy New Year!

Bruno LoGreco Life Coach & Mentor

Aim - Ready - Fire! The Secret To New Years Resolutions

bruno@brunologreco.com (Bruno LoGreco) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 05:08:00 PST

Do you want to be successful in 2010? In just a few minutes you will learn the formula to arrive at the true meaning of success. Many will discover success in the New Year and I want you to enjoy and to celebrate it too.

Forget everything you ever heard about New Years Resolutions. They don’t work. In fact they make you feel like a failure rather than feeling successful. It’s because resolutions typically include everything and anything that isn’t exciting and everything that requires tons of energy. True success is derived from excitement. Excitement fosters success, not mundane tedious tasks that must be done daily anyhow.

Do you a favor - give yourself permission to dream. Take a moment and be a kid again. Make the dream as big as you can as if there are no limits. Don’t hold back. Dream the impossible no matter how unrealistic it may seem. When you have an image in mind that excites you take a snap shot of it. It is an image of what the dream looks like in the final state.

AIM

Now you’re one step closer to realizing the dream. The image in mind is your “Aim” a target to fire at. A quote made popular by New York’s Best Seller, The Secret “If you can dream it you can achieve it.” Believe its possible and it will be. It is true if you have the capacity to dream it you have the capacity to see it to fruition. All you need is a vision, something to “Aim” at. If the image is to win the lottery you might as well stop reading now.

READY

Get excited! The image you have in mind is about to become your reality. Get “Ready” is the next step to seeing your dream come true. “Ready” is taking small steps. I compare it to what babies do before they try to walk – they crawl. Babies spend countless time trying to get up onto their little, wobbly, feet. They get ready by strengthening their ability by crawling on the floor, mimicking what they see. They continue to try again and again until they finally get it and learn what it takes to walk on there own two feet.

You must do the same. Think of 3 tiny steps you could take. It could be mimicking those who already achieved a similar dream. It could be learning something new or even conducting research. Do anything to learn enough for you to feel confident enough to take a shot at getting onto your feet.

FIRE

AIM – READY – FIRE! Take action. By now you should have enough knowledge to attempt getting up onto your feet. The greater the excitement is for the image the more determined and ambitious you will be to create it. Write on a piece of paper 3 tasks you will execute in the next 24 hours.

At the end of each day, reflect upon the day’s experiences and learn from it. After you learned from each experience write another 3 tasks for you to execute tomorrow. If you continue this process everyday, sooner or later you will create the image in your mind and you will live it too.

As the expression says, “nothing good ever comes easy” If you think success happens over night and without a few bumps and bruises, you’d better think again. Babies fall again and again before they get up onto their feet, so you better count on taking a few spills before getting up onto yours.

A Positive Mind Set

A glass half full is better than a glass half empty. It’s your perspective that changes an experience from a negative to positive one. Every experience will have a positive and certainly a negative, its what you want to see.

A young woman falls down a flight of stairs and on her way down she observes people laughing at her misfortune. She can choose to be humiliated, or she could believe she lightened up their day by sharing an amusing moment.

I Don’t Know How To

“When the student is ready the teacher will appear.” Don’t expect to have all the answers right off the bat, but don’t let that stop you. No one has all the answers – everyone starts with the basics and learns the rest as they go, and so will you. When you get to a crossroad and aren’t sure which direction to travel, it means you have to learn something that is unfamiliar. You cannot foresee this far ahead so its only when you get here will you know that you are ready for the lesson, after which the direction will become clear.

Accountability

Say what you mean: mean what you say. Walk the walk, not just talk the talk. If you truly want to create the life you dream, hold yourself accountable. Be honest with yourself, take responsibility for what you say and do. You have the ability to look beyond the immediate moment to know what the outcome of your behavior will be. Do nothing and get nothing, do something and you will get something in return. It’s all up to you to make it happen.

Support

Me among others will support anyone who is longing to make their dream come true. If you are that person who starts strong only to fall off the wagon when the going gets tough because you lack support, fear no more you will have full support.

Here is how it will work...

1. Create a Twitter account if you don’t already have one.
2. Update your status with your goal include your 3 tiny steps.
3. At the end of your status update include the following #SupportMyGoal
4. Every night log into Twitter, update your status with the next 3 tiny steps.
5. Update Twitter each time you succeed at a task. Always remember to add #SupportMyGoal at the end of each update.

Via Twitter you can monitor everyone’s progress when you search #SupportMyGoal. If you follow this easy process you will receive the support you and help you need until your dream becomes reality. Like attracts like, not only will you have all the support you need but you will have everyone cheering and encouraging you all the way to the end.

I invite you to join me and others in creating a prosperous and successful 2010.

Bruno LoGreco Life Coach & Mentor

It Started With 'Me'

bruno@brunologreco.com (Bruno LoGreco) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 12:25:00 PST

The more I learn about life and how to succeed, the more I realize that it really is about ‘me’, the authentic relationship I have with self. I won’t lie to you and make you believe that I’ve always had this relationship, because I haven’t. It has been a gradual development that’s taken 34 years, and I suspect I will continue to build upon the relationship until my final moment.

There was a time in my life when I was disconnected from me. I separated my thoughts from my emotions. It was easier for me to view myself in the 3rd party. It was my natural defense mechanism so not to feel hurt. I wasn’t completely disconnected I still heard my thoughts although I chose to ignore it most times. I was ashamed of myself, I didn’t like who I was and I didn’t know if anyone would accept me if they learned the truth about me.

I spent my teenage years searching for where I belonged. Which group will accept ‘me’. I never did feel like I fit into any group. I always felt like the outcast, even though I was the one who had a secret. In my pursuit to find where I belonged, I turned into a manic by 20. Everyone said I was hyper, here one second gone the next – always on the go. Sure I was, I was desperate to find where I belonged. Quite the contrast of who I am today.

I started to believe that perhaps I would never find where I really belong – and that’s when I whispered to myself, "Perhaps you already belong." I began listening to myself. I slowly established a relationship with ‘me’ and started to feel comfortable being alone. I paid careful attention to my thoughts, ideas, opinions, feelings, needs, and dreams. I even discovered through my internal dialogue that if I couldn’t love myself unconditionally I couldn’t have a true relationship with anyone else. The foundation would be based on a lie.

It Started With 'Me'

The more I developed the relationship with ‘me’ the easier life got. Thoughts flowed smoothly and everything in life became easier and easier. In perfect harmony.

Now I look into my eyes each time I see a mirror and say, “I love you” rather than judging how I appear. I accept ‘me’ for who I am. I had to learn how unique I am, and that I am as much of a gift as anyone else, and that, I am worth it. I am honest with ‘me’ - I use hard facts to face the truth and to accept what is. I accept and trust ‘me’ enough to never turn my back on ‘me’ never again. It took time but I developed the foundation needed with self to take responsibility for my actions and to hold myself accountable.

What I learned about life so far is that nobody else can give me what I want or need or can make me feel like I belong, except me. And, that when you’re authentically you success will come knocking at the door.

Bruno LoGreco Life Coach & Mentor

Did You Tell Yourself Today That You're Worth It?

bruno@brunologreco.com (Bruno LoGreco) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 05:33:00 PST

Self-esteem is what makes you feel good or bad about yourself. It will fluctuate from day to day and sometimes from moment to moment. It really will depend on the various elements within your life that are constantly changing and how you perceive yourself within each, which will determine your self-esteem.

Self-confidence is an internal belief of whether or not you are competent to fulfill an obligation from start to finish. You might draw upon past experiences to determine your confidence, or you might use wisdom and experience to develop new confidence. Whatever your confidence level is, it could impact your self-esteem if you are left feeling incompetent.

Self-worth is the feeling of being “good enough” your self-value. It’s an overall measure of your worth, which encompasses self-confidence, self-acceptance, self-respect, etc. But, by the mere fact that you were born into this Universe, you already are worthwhile and are invaluable. Your self-value should be equal to and never less than anyone else.

Self-love is what you owe to yourself for being unique. You should be proud of yourself and accept who you are with your strengths and all your weaknesses, likes and dislikes. If you do, you will develop a deeper level of confidence and will feel happier about being you.

Your belief system is what controls everything. Self-confidence, self-love, self-worth, etc., it even controls your behavior – how you act and react to situations. It’s been developing from childhood – your education, life lessons, and wisdom together create your beliefs. What you believe about yourself is how you develop your personality and character traits. And those determine how assertive or aggressive, confidant or shy you will be in any given situation.

Self-esteem is what you believe you can or cannot achieve. Its how you feel about yourself and the value you place on your self-worth. Its how much you know or how little you accept who you are. Self-esteem really is how you perceive yourself, your own knowledge about you.

Boost your self-esteem and feel good about yourself. Make an effort today to tell yourself how worth it you really are, because you’re worth it.

Bruno LoGreco Life Coach & Mentor

A Daydreamer's Exciting Plan For The New Year

bruno@brunologreco.com (Bruno LoGreco) — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:52:00 PST

This is an exciting time of year. Not only is it the holiday season it’s also the time of year I get excited about my new ideas and spend lots of time daydreaming about it. This morning I caught myself daydreaming at the gym in a big way. I couldn’t remember if I finished an exercise or not. I was deep in thought about a new speech that I’m preparing for corporate events in 2010. The topic is Fear and Judgment. In my mind while working out, I broke down all the components I need to perform a powerful and empowering speech. I get a lot accomplished when I work out.

Back in 1999 while everyone was running around in the office getting ready for the Y2K bug, I was busy daydreaming about my future. I sat inside my little cubicle and daydreamed about my ideal job. I daydreamed about having an office, traveling to the United States, like businessmen with a corporate credit card and company cell phone. I dreamed about my ideal salary. I even daydreamed about a day when I wouldn’t have to rush my workout in the morning to get to a “nine-to-five” job. A decade In Review: 2000 to 2009 reveals how many of my daydreams were achieved.

Now that it is the end of 2009, I spend a lot of time daydreaming about the future. I daydream about speaking to large crowds and the tools that I will use that will benefit the audience. I daydream about my own television show, coaching people into living happier lives. I daydream about hosting a radio show with a co-host, diving deeper into behavioral issues, and I daydream about my book being a Best Seller. Come to think of it I daydream a lot.

So now you know why I am so excited about the New Year. I want to accomplish a lot, but I also want to have fun doing it or I won’t want to do it - that’s just the way I am. That's why everything I plan on accomplishing in 2010 is fun and exciting and is leading to a bigger vision. Here is what I have planned so far:

Vision / Mission Statement
Representation (Can/US)
Fear/Judgment Presentation
TV Show
Book
Radio Show
Art Workshop
Awareness Seminars
Awareness Research Paper
Fiji or pacific vacation

From time to time I’ll check back to this post to measure my success. I will check mark projects that are accomplished and I will write a blog about it. I don't see any reason why I wouldn't be able to finish everything by the end of the year. However, anything could happen that will take me down a different path, and that too is okay.

Happy Holidays!

Bruno LoGreco Life Coach & Mentor

A Decade In Review: 2000 to 2009

bruno@brunologreco.com (Bruno LoGreco) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:30:00 PST

Another year has come and gone and next month will mark the end of an era. So much has happened in the past 10 years. Where do I even start? Sure there’s been a lot of negative stuff like: 9/11, war, global warming and the list goes on and on. I’d rather reflect on the good things that happened instead. But I do want to take a moment to give thanks to the Universe and Mother Earth for the opportunity to live “life” and to enjoy it here with Mother Earth – Thank you!

At the end of 1999 while everyone was preparing for Y2K – the millennium computer software bug, I was busy daydreaming about my future. A new millennium was near and I believed in dreams so I dreamt big. I dreamt many wonders and wished for many things, some of which I am still working towards and others which I accomplished.

2000 to 2009 Accomplishments

Secured employment at a major pharmaceutical company
Numerous achievements throughout professional career including:
Consolidated vendor and procurement teams
10 + Millions in savings through various negotiations
Held local, national, North American and global positions
Traveled to India
Life Coached
Opened Consulting Company
Numbers Achievements during this period
Opened Pet Company
Professional Life Coach
Mentor to summer students
Wrote Countless Articles
Wrote Mini E-Book
Wrote E-book
Created Workshops
My Theory about life
TV Personality
Appeared on Save Us From Our House
Reoccurring role on Style by Jury
CFRB 1010 Radio
Motivational Speaker

I wonder what I can accomplish in the next decade?

What about you, think about everything you accomplished this past decade. Write everything on a piece of paper and put it somewhere. If you don’t feel you have any accomplishments think harder because everyone has some - big or small. You’ll thank me one day. If you still come up short then it might be a good idea to create some.

Bruno LoGreco Life Coach & Mentor

I Got Fired Today For Being Insecure

bruno@brunologreco.com (Bruno LoGreco) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 05:32:00 PST

I’ve had my share of insecurity throughout life, I deal with the ones I do find as I go. I also suspect that I will continue to uncover new ones as I mature and experience new things. Insecurity is what will allow me to grow. For me, insecurities equal to fear - I like to face fear square in the face because I learn from my experiences and grow from them.

EVERYONE has insecurities about something or another, if anyone tells you otherwise they’re lying. What I find fascinating is how everyone deals with his or her insecurity. Some will openly communicate it, while a large majority will keep it quiet.

Often people believe that I am very confident and secure with myself. For the most part I am but I still have insecurities about certain aspects of my life. For example: I know my writing skills are less than average. Sometimes I don’t finish my thoughts and I ought to consider hiring a grammar tutor. And yet, I still blog and write articles and share it across the Internet for everyone to read. Do you think I doubt myself and feel insecure when I’m just about to publish something? I totally do, I get doubtful and think, "What if I didn't articulate my thoughts properly?" I even fear that someone will judge my writing skills or poo-poo my thoughts and will let me know, and they have. But I always go back to why I started this blog, and one of the reasons I write is to improve my writing skills, and to develop ideas and tools - a vehicle to dump my thoughts. So why would I allow another’s judgment to interfere with my growth?

A lot of people are afraid of being judged - what another person will say about you, but fear is natural. Fear is a survival instinct coded in your physiological makeup – it’s part of you. Fear is also the barrier between you and success. Unfortunately, you must be judged in order for you to learn what you need so you can overcome the barrier and become successful.

Confidence is what allows you to be open to judgment. I’m not arrogant to believe I know it all because I never will. I also know there is a left, a center, and a right, all with different viewpoints, and with a set of morals and values. Comments, feedback and criticism - all help me learn more about different personalities, behaviors and the impact of culture. What I am confident about is that I don't know everything and that I will learn as much as I can as I go. My confidence is developed by facts. The fact that I do not know everything and could only learn it day by day outweigh my insecurities.

Bruno LoGreco Life Coach & Mentor

I've Fallen and I Can't Get Up - I'M STUCK!

bruno@brunologreco.com (Bruno LoGreco) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:40:00 PST

I'm often asked why do people get stuck in life? I tell them it’s because you stopped learning about the fundamentals of life: Life is about continual growth preceding your final moment. If you aren't learning, you're definitely not growing, and if you aren't growing, you are stuck! Break the routine and try something new. Learn a new skill, challenge your mind, and step outside the box.

Young men and woman in their early 20’s, after graduating from college often feel stuck and don’t know which direction to move towards. They face pressure from family and peers to quickly fall into a role or to find a job based on education. They lack inspiration and confidence and feel overwhelmed to take a decision and to stick to it. They fear they won’t be successful in their chosen field.

Adults in there 40’s and into there 50’s will fall stuck too. If they settled into “a lifestyle”, stopped learning and the mind isn’t stimulated, they will risk falling “stuck” and some could even experience a mid life crisis. They will feel like they aren’t contributing, disconnected, and unworthy, and some will feel like time is running out. The job they settled for 20 years ago isn’t what they thought they would be doing at their age.

If you’re a young adult or mature adult, consider writing your goals before coming into the responsibilities that life will throw at you. Imagine doing as many things as you can without any limitations. Write them all down in a book. If you can do a brain dump of all your aspiration, dreams and hopes, everything you can think of doing before you come into responsibilities: Marriage, children, debt, employer, etc., your mind won’t be distracted by the level of noise you will encounter in the coming years. Return to the book every so often and add new ideas. Take your education and add it to your dream and create your ideal job. Don't settle!

Hopefully, if you create this book and continue to write your ideas and goals, you won’t be one of those people that feel stuck when you turn 40 or 50 years old.

But if you are stuck, answer the following questions. HINT: the answer to each question must come from within, no external roles/titles:

Who am I?
What makes me happy?
What excites me?
What are my core values?
If there were no limitations what could I do?

Bruno LoGreco Life Coach & Mentor, Motivational Speaker, TV Personality

"Where do I start?" "What if I suck and fail?" "Can I really make a go at it"

bruno@brunologreco.com (Bruno LoGreco) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 07:28:00 PST

People spend more time asking questions than actually doing anything at all. They enjoy sitting around in the same spot, day after day, asking the same questions, producing the same results each time. "Where do I start?" "What if I suck and fail?" "Can I really make a go at it" Day after day they imagine the same conclusion for each question, never taking a stab at anything.

I feel bad for those people. If I only had a magic wand I would use it to take the lazy and the procrastination bug out of them. Just in case you don’t know, perfectionists typically are procrastinators. They only do what they do well, and will put off everything they believe they don’t do well. They experience major anxiety, stressing about the outcome. However, more often than not they do finish the task. Lazy people like to complain and bitch about everything including how nothing ever goes there way and how much bad luck they have. They bitch about doing NOTHING.

Bad luck! For what - poor choices? It cracks me up.

A few years ago I started a pet company. It opened and then closed on the same day. I had no clue how to even start a pet company when I first embarked on that project. The only thing I knew was that I wanted to develop a 2-in-1 dog harness/jacket. So that’s where I started.

I required a prototype of my idea and the only person I knew who could develop it was a designer. So I contacted the International Academy Of Design and asked HR how to go about posting a job at the school for a new graduate. HR was a wealth of information, they told me everything from the hiring process, to wages, everything I needed to know about hiring a designer. That piece of the puzzle was easy to solve.

Next, I had to find a manufacture to produce the final product. I Googled "manufactures" and found thousands all over the world. I also came across government resale regulations. Labeling, hang tags, etc.

Next it was time to find wholesale buyers - They were easy to find too. I found a good chunk of the pet industry at a local trade show. Manufactures, buyers, sellers, distributors, everyone I would eventually need to meet were there. I learned so much about the pet industry that day. All the information I needed to know about starting a pet company, appeared as I needed it.

A storefront wasn't feasible, but a website was. Web designers are a dime a dozen so finding one wasn’t difficult. After a few discussions with the designer to brainstorm ideas, an image – a brand was agreed upon and development on the website was underway. I guess this is what Malcom Gladwell author of The Tipping Point meant. I’d hit the point of no return with the pet company – I was in the Pet Industry and could learn all the ins and outs of the 42 Billion Dollar industry and claim my piece of the pie.

On launch day I was very excited. My very first pet company. I was very proud of my accomplishment. Considering, I had no prior knowledge of the pet industry when I first decided to develop the 2-in-1 Harness/Jacket - there was also a gorgeous, leather collar with a silver locket with the company logo: hero+destiny. It was a beautiful piece – a jewelry store wanted to resell it.

hero+destiny was a big flop. Tens of thousand of dollars and a professional career – ALL GONE! Just like that. In less time than it took to develop it. No school other than the school of hard knock could teach me what I learned during this phase of my life. Although the company was a big flop, for me it was a huge success. I did what I set out to do - to start a pet company. You’re right, no the pet company wasn't successful, but I was. I started and finished what I set out to do and success is exactly that.

I learned about a new industry. I learned how to write a business plan and to start a company. I traveled to India and learned about a new culture, and a long the way I started to mentor summer students on how to start a summer company, and another door swung wide open.

That’s where you start. Get inquisitive, learn something new, get out of your head and stop asking yourself questions that you can't answer. Nobody really knows if you will be successful or not until you do it. Be smart, use your brain. Keep moving forward and don’t get stuck on something that didn't happen your way - Who cares? Look for the benefit of the experience instead, because if you do another door will open.

Bruno LoGreco Life Coach, Mentor, Motivational Speaker and TV Personality.

The Art of Expression

bruno@brunologreco.com (Bruno LoGreco) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:42:00 PST

Bottling your emotions is self-destructive. I never understood why “men don’t cry”, and “woman must be strong and not show signs of weakness”. The physiological makeup of your body isn’t designed to suppress emotions, its designed to feel and to express it. When you express how you feel it releases pent-up emotions brewing deep within you.

The Art of Expression allows you to dispel bottled emotions. You dissolve limiting beliefs, anger, and frustration developed by past experiences. The ability to freely express your emotions constructively frees your soul from the burden and the pain smothering you with each passing step. It clears the path to allow for new experiences – positive and memorable ones.

The path of experiences is long and sometimes heavy, especially if you walk backwards and could only see past experiences. With every step taken a new experience is created and many new experiences resemble a lot like your past. How you discern each step - the experience from it, will be what falls onto the path for you to face.

Art is a source of expression. It appeals to the senses and emotions. Through The Art of Expression your sensori-emotinal values, the values which makeup your judgment of sentiment, can recreate and express hurt, pain, suffering, love, joy or bliss, or any combination. With colour and depth, an abstract of your emotions, a visual representation of how you feel is created - Your real emotions released…

Bottling your emotions will do nothing for you. It will imprison you, and you won’t be able to turn around and walk forward in your own life. Your confidence and self-esteem will tumble to the ground and those too will be another past experience.

“The Art of Expression heals people. Its very calming and satisfying,” explains Ray Mantella. Ray is an artist and close friend. Ray’s work is featured at New York’s Amsterdam Whitney Gallery and in galleries worldwide. Ray and I share similar philosophies, “Do what you love and success will come from it.” Together we are planning a weekend workshop – The Art of Expression. Details Coming Soon.

Bruno LoGreco Life Coach & Mentor, Motivational Speaker and TV Personality.

Oppositional Defiant Disorder - What's That?

bruno@brunologreco.com (Bruno LoGreco) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 07:17:00 PST

The topic ‘medication’ often strikes a nerve in me. I’ve been fortunate to not ever be prescribed medication for any ailment nor mental disorder. I did take Zyban, aka Wellbutrin, in my mid twenties to quit smoking and again in my 30’s. My first experience with Zyban was not fun. I almost lost my job because it screwed me up so bad that I could not function nor comprehend a whole lot while I was on it. But that’s not what this blog post is about.

I want to start by saying that I do agree a small percentage of the population do require medication for their mental disorders. The medication helps those people live a healthier and fuller life. However, I also believe there are people taking medication, including children, which do not need it. Just like anything else, medication is a business and corporations need to make money and they do so by selling to the public, through various distribution channels including medical professionals.

Last night I engaged in a discussion about mental disorders. Did you ever hear the expression, "You are what you believe you are"? If you hear something for long enough you begin to believe and act according to it. When someone as young at 14 or 15 is told they have a mental disorder, they tend to identify to it and will probably believe they do and will use it to describe who they are, as a person.

This mental disorder cracks me up: Oppositional Defiant Disorder, ODD. Whatever happened to getting to the root cause? Learn and understand why the child is defiant and angry. If you listen carefully, children will tell you what is going through their mind and why they are angry, but you have to be willing to listen. Children go through an enormous amount of pressure during their developmental years. ANYTHING can alter their behavior to the point where the child could believe he or she is alone and isolated, and that NOBODY could possibly understand what they are experiencing – so they fight for their life, and yes become defiant. To some degree, every child and teenager will go through a phase of defiance, its fact of life.

The name itself, Oppositional Defiance Disorder, ought to provoke questions before parents permit their children to take medication that alter the mind. A separation, divorce, multiple relocations and even sexual identity, all have the makings to create ODD. Ask Children the proper question and get to the root of the problem before agreeing to medication.

Compassion and nurture will go a long way in defiant children. They already feel distant and isolated from the world, a little love and understanding will make them feel better about themselves. So before making them believe they have a mental disorder and that something is wrong with them, lets get back to the basics of human understanding.

Bruno LoGreco Life Coach & Mentor, Motivational Speaker & TV Personality

How Much Are You Willing To Sacrifice For Your Dream?

bruno@brunologreco.com (Bruno LoGreco) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:46:00 PST

I know you work hard to buy all your possessions. To maintain a roof over your head and to put food in your mouth, not to mention all the other responsibilities you have in order to maintain your lifestyle - Clothing, transportation, insurance, wireless device, and lets not forget your social life. You might even have a spouse and children to support.

Salary Based Lifestyle

Your lifestyle is based upon your salary. You might even be one of those people that live beyond their means and work a second job to pay for some expenses. Luxuries are nice to have and sometimes you extend your limit and indulge into something sweet. You do go over your monthly budget from time-to-time and spend more money than you made in that month, but sometimes you spend less than you budgeted and save the money for a rainy day.

A few extra hours at work each week will buy you vacation time. The extra money you earn for working overtime is saved to take a vacation somewhere warm to breakup the cold winter months. Then, when you least expect it, something unforeseen goes terribly wrong and the money you saved for the trip next year is gone.

How much of it are you willing to sacrifice?

I gave it all up. I sacrificed my entire lifestyle to pursue a career with no promises. I didn’t even keep my professional career while starting my coaching career. Nope, I jumped in with both feet, directly into the abyss - A bottomless drop into the unknown.

When I first became self-employed I barely could make ends meet. I was the new kid on the block. I had to pay my dues and build a reputation. I did it by accepting free clients. Month after month I worked for free, learning and developing tools for my practice. After several months of developing my tools, I was finally ready for a paying client.

A Dream Career

Next month I will have been self-employed as a professional Life Coach for 3 years. In 3 years I accomplished more for myself than I did in the previous 32 years when I believed my lifestyle was determined by my salary. I had to give it all up. I had to sacrifice my income, lifestyle, all of it, it was the only way for me to achieve the success I get to enjoy today.

In 3 years – the average time it takes to develop a successful business, I’ve climbed out of the Abyss and into my dream career. 3 years ago I didn’t have a clue where I would be today, but looking into my future I know where I will be in 5 years from now.

How much of it are YOU willing to sacrifice for your dream?

Bruno LoGreco Life Coach & Mentor, Motivational Speaker & TV Personality

Get Lost and Stop Trying To Control Me!

bruno@brunologreco.com (Bruno LoGreco) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:24:00 PST

The power to influence or direct people’s behavior is real mighty. It’s a tremendous power with extraordinary capabilities. Some people believe they possess this extraordinary capability and live their life doing exactly that - imposing their views onto others. They believe there is only one way to the top of the mountain – and they have no problem showing you the way.

Satisfaction is the motive and validation is the reward. They will take you to the top of the mountain to prove their worth. You are happy because you reached the top and are thankful for their support. They bask in glee and do it again and again until come someone that knows another way. They will shout and scream hoping to shoo them away.

They believe control is all they have, and if they lose it they fear there will be nothing left for them - everything will go away and they will be left alone. But, if they can control it, it might last forever. So they try to control the course of events to play out in their favor so not to lose anything or anyone.

What he or she doesn’t realize is that slowly but surely everyone is being driven away, anyhow. After they drive everyone away, they feel unworthy and undeserving, but just for a few days. Within no time they will be back on their feet thinking of another way to prove their worth with new unsuspecting players.

Control - A Beautiful Thing

Control is a beautiful thing but only when it is self directed. When you try to control other people or course of events outside of your control you go against the natural flow of energy. When this happens you are often greeted by disappointment and anger, and you will feel defeated.

The truth is nobody has the power to influence nor direct people’s behavior, and if you do it short lived – it never lasts although you may believe it does. The only influence you have over anyone is the power to control yourself.

Bruno LoGreco Life Coach & Mentor

Go Ahead, Think About It...

bruno@brunologreco.com (Bruno LoGreco) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 04:26:00 PST

A quiet mind is a beautiful mind - Free from thought, the mind is in its purest form - Imaginative, creative, and expressive, a blank canvass guided by morals and values. Mindfulness and intuitive it seeks exploration to build upon it strengths and wonders, creating brilliance and extraordinary masterpieces.

A noisy mind is a confused mind – Fragmented into a web of thoughts, tangled between reality and illusion. Uncertain to what is real and what is not, emotions ignite and new experiences are created. Confusion will prevail as behaviors develop, and much time will be spent dreading past experiences searching for the perfect outcome in a web of tangled thoughts.

So the choice is yours: A noisy and confused mind tangled in a web of thoughts, mostly illusions which cause nothing but heartache, or a quiet beautiful mind free to explore and to create brilliance, something that is desired. All it takes is a conscious thought – a conscious decision on what you choose to think.

Which will you choose? Go ahead, think about it...

Bruno LoGreco Life Coach & Mentor, Motivational Speaker & TV Personality

Past Experiences - The Hiccup To Your Future

bruno@brunologreco.com (Bruno LoGreco) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 05:15:00 PST

Are you one of those people who hang onto past experiences and let it define who you are? Did you know that when you hang on to the past you let it determine your future? You may believe you will never experience it again because you have learnt from it, but what you are really doing when you relive the past is put all the pieces in place to repeat history.

An experience gone badly that you rewind and play again and again in your mind is reliving the experience, emotions and all. Every time you replay what happened and wish you could have done it differently, your imagination runs wild and will try to create different outcomes. Each outcome you imagine, although not real, will send a jolt of emotions throughout your body. You will believe it is real, because the emotions are real.

The process of rethinking negative experiences and creating a number of different outcomes will only condition your brain into believing what is not true. Unfortunately, your brain does not know the difference between true and untrue it only knows what you tell it to believe. When you experience a jolt of emotions because your imagination ran wild, you essentially condition your brain into believing the experience is true.

Thinking in this way will have the following consequences to your future:

1. When the environment becomes familiar and you recognize similar feelings, you will approach it with caution if you approach it at all. If you do approach it you will try to minimize the impact by controlling the situation, and if you don’t approach it for fear of repeating history, you miss out on a potential opportunity.

2. You fool yourself into believing what is not really happening. You draw upon your past experiences, including the untrue ones, as you try to avoid repeating history. You will be adamant that something is happening that in reality is not really happening and you risk losing what you do have. You self sabotage for fear of history repeating itself.

In both cases you miss out on the real opportunity and history is repeating itself and will continue until you break the cycle.

You learn from past experiences you don’t take it with you into the future. You learn why you got burnt: I allowed someone to take advantage of me because I craved his or her attention. You learn why you are afraid: I was unprepared for the event so the feedback was negative.

The problem is never them, you’re the problem. History will repeat itself until you learn from your past rather than taking it with you. Flip the experience upside down and look at yourself. Ask yourself, “Why did I allow that to happen?” If you start by saying he or she and are looking for someone to blame other than yourself, start over again.

Bruno LoGreco Life Coach, Mentor, Motivational Speaker, TV Personality

Good Luck, You'll Need It To Become Successful

bruno@brunologreco.com (Bruno LoGreco) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 04:30:00 PDT

It makes me laugh when I overhear people say, you need to be lucky to succeed at life. That’s the biggest cop out if I ever heard one. Don’t get me wrong I do believe in luck or I should say, I believe you get back what you put out into the Universe. If this translates into luck then I too believe in luck.

Everybody knows someone who believes you need to be lucky to succeed. These people work really hard. They get things done. They hardly push anything off for another day, and will spend many hours doing extra work seeking recognition and expecting a reward. They become passionate about their work and share the level of difficulty with others. But the moment something doesn’t go in their favor, like a job placement, a promotion - anything, they lose their steam and feel unlucky.

And then there are those who are lucky. These people put out into the Universe what they want and they go after it. Lucky people know a job placement or promotion will come down to statistics, just like a lottery game. What lucky people do is increase the odds in their favor. They let others know about their ambitions. They speak to their strength and feel confident in an interview. They speak to their boss throughout the year and express an interest in growth and are not afraid of criticism and to try something new.

Everyone agrees that everyone is an individual. Everyone has his or her own brain and thoughts and will act according to their principles and objectives. Then there is no reason for anyone to believe that another person can read your mind and know what you want. Successful people don’t become successful because they dream it and hope one day someone will give them an opportunity. They are successful because they work towards it and share their ambitions and dreams with others. Before Madonna became famous she made it known what her ambitions were, so did Donald Trump and many more.

Lucky people increase their chances at success because they are not afraid to let people know what their ambitions are. They are not afraid of rejection or judgment, nor are they afraid to fail. Failure to them is an opportunity to learn something new, and with some luck you might land on something unexpected. So if you are someone who feels unlucky, make a wish and go after it. Good Luck!

Bruno LoGreco Life Coach & Mentor

Is False Information Instilling Fear In Your Mind?

bruno@brunologreco.com (Bruno LoGreco) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 06:40:00 PDT

Negativity is a limiting behavior. It prevents you from achieving your goals and living life to the fullest. It instills doubt in your mind and can destroy your confidence. It will create fear and false beliefs - roadblocks and obstacles that really don’t exist. It will limit your chance at succeeding at the very things you want to do.

Creating a negative mindset is easy. All it takes is one negative force within your environment; friend, family, teacher, anybody you spend time with, and you will easily adopt their negative views. Unfortunately, if you already are a negative person you will easily identify to the negativity and adopt it into your own internal belief system.

Negativity is often spoken with authority, it fools you into believing it is true. A naysayer could impart his or her wisdom, and if you have no prior experience with the subject matter, you may take it on as your own. With no supporting facts, you adopt their perspective - right or wrong, and begin to operate according to the naysayer when discussing that subject matter.

It won’t be until you attempt to go after something you want in life, this is when your negative self-talk - your mind chatter, will prevent you from trying or moving forward with the things you want for your life. You will be unsuccessful. Not because you tried and couldn't achieve a desired target, but because of the fear that has been instilled into you with no proven facts.

After your first, non-attempt, and perceived failure, you will have your own negative experience to contribute to the negativity within your environment. And without a doubt, you will believe something did not happen that you wanted, although you never tried, and you will impart your wisdom on to others. This is how negative behavior perpetuates throughout your environment.

Take inventory of everything you want to accomplish in your life.
Next to each one write what is holding you back from accomplishing it.
For each fear, write the worst-case scenario, the one holing you back from tacking it.
Ask yourself if the fear is based on fact or something you learned from someone.
Take inventory of all the negative people in your life (Friends/Family/Teachers).
Next to each person write his or her worst complaint/fear.
Review your list of fears and verify if the fear is your own or a fear that belongs to someone on your list of negative people.

Bruno LoGreco Life Coach & Mentor

Don't Let Fear Turn You Into a Procrastinator - Especially if You're a Perfectionist

bruno@brunologreco.com (Bruno LoGreco) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 06:46:00 PDT

The first step to addressing procrastination is to admit that you are a procrastinator. Being a procrastinator doesn’t necessarily mean you are lazy. Some procrastinators are also perfectionists. They will only do the things they do well and with accuracy but won’t do the things that they do not know how to do because they fear they cannot live up to their own expectation – perfection, so they put it off.

Past experiences will play a role in procrastinators. If you have experienced a negative outcome with something you put your heart and soul into you will be less likely to tackle something of the same nature in the future for fear of failure, and possibly judgment. You will most likely only lean towards things, which you know you can do well.

There could be many reasons why you procrastinate. The objective is to learn why and understand what you fear. You may be putting things off because you just don’t know how to execute it. Maybe you did have a bad experience and were judged by your peers. Perhaps you’re an over achiever and by not producing something of excellence, frightens you.

Once you identify the cause, you will need to take action. You will need to face your fear head on. Most procrastinators are not aware that it does take a few failures before they will learn a new skill. This is the only way you will learn and grow as an individual.

At the end of the day if you decide to continue putting off tasks for whatever reason or fear, the truth is you already failed, yourself and possibly others. If you continue down this path eventually you will become stagnant and one day wakeup feeling stuck.

Bruno LoGreco Life Coach & Mentor

Can Harmony Exist In The Mind of The Insecure?

bruno@brunologreco.com (Bruno LoGreco) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 04:37:00 PDT

At the core of every human being is love. Everybody wants to be loved unconditionally by friends, family and their soul mate. But there are those who need greater support and validation – the insecure. These people often sabotage their chance at living a peaceful and harmonious life because of what they believe about themselves and their perception of others.

The insecure think about their dislikes and weaknesses more than they think about their redeeming qualities. When anyone thinks about their negative qualities more than their positive, they burst the bubble that houses their confidence, and reduces their self-esteem to rubble. The insecure often look towards their loved ones to boost their self-esteem with encouragement and support. However, even those words seem hard to believe in the mind of an insecure person.

An insecure person will mostly think about the negative aspects of his or her life. They replay past experiences in their head over and over beating themselves up for what they think they should have done instead. With so many negative thoughts floating around, they believe that their loved ones do not accept them for whom they are and push them away. It’s easier to push loved ones away sooner rather than later so that they don’t see through the insecurity and learn about all the flaws. In the mind of an insecure person, they rather distance themselves first before they get hurt again.

Insecure people with low self-esteem feel vulnerable in a relationship. They think the love they are getting from their mate is conditional and could end at anytime. So they sabotage the relationship so they don’t get hurt and move further away from the peaceful and harmonious life they long for.

Bruno LoGreco Life Coach & Mentor

Abandonment And The Need To Be Loved...

bruno@brunologreco.com (Bruno LoGreco) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 03:06:00 PDT

Some parents cease to take interest in their childrens life and stop looking after them past a certain age. Unbeknown to some parents, this will create a sense of abandonment within the child - a void in the soul. The behaviors expressed due to the hole will differ from person to person - from men to women during adulthood.

A typical behaviors that is expresses is grasping at anything they believe will finally make them happy and fill the void. If you are that person that grasps at anything and anyone hoping this time is the right one - the perfect happiness you long for... There will be many more times, unfortunately.

The key is for you to become the adult and give yourself the love and nuture you so desperately are searching for. Buying gifts and doing for others will not make them stay. In fact, buying gifts and doing for others will only make you feel worse about yourself after they leave.

You don't need to do anything for anyone or buy anyone gifts to receive their true, unconditional love.

Bruno LoGreco Life Coach & Mentor

Rap sody in Gee! Style By Jury Life Coach Bruno LoGreco Part 3

bruno@brunologreco.com (Bruno LoGreco) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 15:52:00 PDT

Rap sody in Gee! Style By Jury Life Coach Bruno LoGreco Part 2

bruno@brunologreco.com (Bruno LoGreco) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 03:43:00 PDT

Rap sody in Gee! Style By Jury Life Coach Bruno LoGreco Part 1

bruno@brunologreco.com (Bruno LoGreco) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 05:55:00 PDT

Bruno LoGreco Life Coach & Mentor TV Expert Style by Jury Video

bruno@brunologreco.com (Bruno LoGreco) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 07:47:00 PDT

Upcoming Episodes of Style By Jury.

Bruno LoGreco Life Coach & Mentor TV Expert Style by Jury Video