Living an Inspired Life

Christmas Time - A Mother's Love

2011-12-23T12:14:00.000-08:00

This time of year always has me reflecting back on our childhood Christmas celebrations. My three brothers and I would be so excited with what Santa was going to bring. The tree was decorated, the Christmas music with Johnny Mathias wafting through the house, and the fresh smell of pine created the perfect atmosphere.

I think of the gifts we received the latest electric racing car set, a new basketball, or a favorite team sweat shirt and that was all great, but the best was celebrating and sharing the holidays with Mom and the brothers. I think of all the gifts Santa brings our kids and wow they seem to get more in one year than we received in a lifetime but I'm not sure it's better.

Santa was a miracle worker! Despite limited resources, he always found a way to make Christmas special and I'm grateful for the greatest gift of all

A Mother's Love

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

All the Best,

Coach K

Free Cheese

2011-12-11T09:36:00.000-08:00

Welfare to Wealth

Helen grew up like any other young girl with dreams of being a princess, marrying prince charming, and living in a nice house with a white picket fence. But somewhere on the way to Oz her prince turned into a frog and hopped away, leaving her at the tender age of 25 with four boys under the age of 9 to fend for themselves.

Her dreams shattered, her bubble burst, she did what she could to provide for her boys and make a good life for them. Her sole purpose in life became the survival of her and the boys. She begged and pleaded for money, food, and to make sure her boys were educated. Out of necessity, the young princess became a street fighter. She would do whatever it takes.

Helen did something many of us will not do when life beats us down and crushes our dreams. Yes, she cried with a broken heart but she got back up and fought. She was determined to raise her boys as best she could. She made a simple but powerful choice and that choice was to STAND and DELIVER to do what was right, to sacrifice her life and dreams to take care of her boys. She didn't say poor me and pout. She fought tooth and nail and she battled with her boys to try and keep them in line. Dealing with her four boys on a daily basis was an emotional and physical drain, but she had a spirit that would not be broken. She was determined to survive.

Helen never had two nickels and she would send her boys to stand in line for free cheese and powdered milk, but she was a woman of great accomplishment, of tremendous achievement, and the most successful person I know.

All the Best,

Coach K

2011-11-30T10:46:00.001-08:00

Integrity

A great story that illustrates integrity or just plain old stubborness. A good friend of mine is a contractor and was contacted about installing a sidewalk. He provided the quote, the buyer accepted and the work began. Upon completion of the concrete sidewalk, the husband is unhappy with the shade of gray color that the concrete dried. The husband refuses to pay and my friend is dumbfounded. Still in disbelief he explains the unpredictable nature of concrete curing and that the color will have natural variations. The husband refuses to pay and calls the police. The wife is embarrassed and mortified.

The police arrive and after hearing the explanation suggests that the husband pay up. My friend at this point is angered, shocked, disappointed and most of all hurt. The wife put her trust in him and his craftsmanship, he delivered the work and did an excellent job. Before the husband could write a check, my friend had another idea.

Since the sidewalk was not paid for he felt it still belonged to him. He asked the police officer if instead of taking payment he could remove the sidewalk. The puzzled officer said yes and my friend proceeded to spend several hours chopping out the hardened concrete sidewalk by hand. The husband, wife, and officer watched shaking their heads in disbelief. My friend did not want to do business on any terms with the husband. Believe it or not my friend took his sidewalk home!

The wife afterwards called my friend and apologized profusely explaining how her husband was out of line, how he humiliated her and the family. She even sent him a check in the full amount for the work.

So I asked my friend, you did the work you deserve to be paid did you cash the check?

What do you think?

Wow! At the end of the day, these are the people we should do business with, that we want to have as our friends. With a friend like that we can move mountains.

All the Best,

Coach K

A Life Well Lived

2011-11-11T06:46:00.001-08:00

Harry the father of a good friend of mine passed away this week at the age of 91. I did not know the man personally but after listening to friends and family describe him, you couldn't help but think that the spirit of Harry is alive and well. I thought wow that's how we all should be remembered.

Harry was a great lover of life. A renaissance man. An acclaimed architect, a skier, a dancer, an artist, and perhaps most importantly a lover of people. Everyone felt welcomed and comfortable in his presence. Harry was not a millionaire or a financially wealthy man, but to listen to his friends and family describe him was to know he was the richest and most fortunate man in the world. It's funny how we touch so many lives without realizing it, how much influence we have, and how our spirit permeates others.

We all know people that are very successful and have accumulated tremendous riches. We all know fathers or mothers that are great providers but barely know their children or could share two words with them. I came away from the gathering and thought if we provide a nice house, nice cars, college educations, and all the goodies life has to offer but somehow didn't find the time to love, nurture, and connect with the people in our lives then we really wasted our short time together. We missed the juice of life, all the good stuff.

It's nice to provide for our families but when you hear people say that person is a "Great Provider" it's time to take notice and regain some balance in our lives. Look to harness two of the most powerful forces in the universe Love and Kindness, be generous with them, use them often and freely. Just like the river is returned to the ocean that love and kindness is returned to us.

Like Harry let's all be known as Great Lovers of Life.

All the Best,

Tom Kaufmann
Coach K

Be Bold - Life Is Short

2011-10-07T09:18:00.000-07:00

Steve Jobs, the Apple visionary, passed yesterday at the age of 56. I was reading an article and came across this wonderful quote from him

“Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma -- which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”
-Steve Jobs

We all have an obligation to tap into our inner genius to follow that passion that simmers inside us. We don't need to be the next Steve Jobs but we do have an obligation to follow our hearts, to tap our potential.

Apple’s legendary Think Different commercial summed it up nicely:

“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

We start changing the world by changing our own world. Let's be bold life is truly short.

Below is a link for the Steve Jobs 1995 Stanford Commencement address

addresshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc

All the Best,

Coach K

Love Will Find A Way

2011-07-11T09:14:00.000-07:00

Love Will Find a Way

A friend of mine finally found love after a long arduous search and they couldn't be happier. We would talk often about how there was no one out there, how there must be something wrong, why couldn't love find them. We all know how life doesn't always give us what we want when we want it but just like anything else worthwhile persistence, perseverance, and patience pays off. How's that's for alliteration!

We all know it's hard to keep facing rejection and disappointment when a relationship doesn't work but the importance of remaining open, hopeful, and even expectant will help bring about the result we want.

I'm so glad and excited to see the newfound joy in my friend's life, the right love was worth the wait. A recent update my friend is engaged and set to be married next year.

And, as the old Pablo Cruise song goes,

Yeah it's all right
Once you get past the pain
Learn to find Love again
Keep your heart open cause

Love will find a way

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WVqjbBAdL0 (70's pablo cruise song for you young'uns)

All the best,

Coach K

Win Baby Win!

2011-04-05T08:59:00.000-07:00

Have you noticed the trend in youth sports today? Sports was always a wonderful vehicle to learn about teamwork, hard work, competition, sportmanship, and that old fashioned idea fun. These days it seems the focus is only about winning. What used to be great experience on the little league team, township basketball team, or local football team has morphed into a version of professional sports win at all costs mentality. From coaches to parents to fans, we've taken the fun out of youth sports.

What Happened to Fun
We have removed the simple pleasure of competing in sports. We now have 8 year olds playing a particular sport full time, with professional trainers. We have children playing 120 basketball games in a 3 month timeframe at the age of 11 years old and younger. I know parents want the best for their children but it seems we often live vicariouly through them trying to recapture our glory days. We're pushing them to win the game, be their best, obtain the scholarship. As parents and coaches, we've taken the fun out of sports. Instead of letting the children enjoy themselves, we've used the event to build up and support our own egos. We've made the sport more about us than the children.

Play Nice
At the very entry level of competitive sports, it should be about participation, competing, having fun, and learning how to both win and lose. Part of competing in sports is learning how to lose as welll as win. But more importantly is the idea of playing. We pushed the idea of competing and winning down to the lowest levels that even participating in a local recreation team becomes a burden for the children. We forget that youth sports is about skill and character development, about lettiing the children be kids and enjoy themselves.

A Time and Place
I understand the competitive nature of sports and as children mature and begin playing high school sports, they can make their own decsion of what to focus on and how much time to devote to the sport. Most top performing athletes have the innate talent and desire to get better, to learn more, it's simply in them. We should support them and guide them. Let them come to their own decisions. As they grow, sports and life become more competitive, but in the meantime, let's keep the fun and enjoyment in youth sports. Childhood should be a time of learning, nurturing, teaching, exploring, participating, and enjoying. They grow up soon enough, let them be kids.

Continued Success.

Coach K

How Do You View The World?

2011-01-20T09:26:00.000-08:00

BELIEFS

Do you view the world as a friendly place.

What are your beliefs? Do you believe that you deserve success, happiness, love, health, and all the wonderful things life has to offer. We often find it challenging to think we deserve or that we're entitled to all
of life's gifts, but anything you've ever achieved or received has begun with a thought, idea, or belief.

Anything you've acquired in your life began as a thought. From buying a car, phone, deciding what to eat for dinner, or what movie to watch, it started with a simple idea. The same is true for the bigger things in our lives, from choosing a spouse, school, career, or a philosophy of how to live our lives.

EXPECTATIONS

What do we expect from life. Do we expect to be happy. Do we expect good things. Do we have any expectations at all. Often we find ourselves living reactively and expecting the worst. This negative self talk is very harmful and of course leads to undesirable results. Most of the time we find ourselves talking, acting, and behaving this way without any realization on our part.

We wake-up hear the news, mostly bad then go to sleep again watching the news mostly bad and we become conditioned to this negative messaging and negative expecations. Let's make a simple shift to positive expectations, expect good things to happen, look for the good things in your life. Try and catch yourself next time you start beating yourself up when something doesn't go your way. Stop the "this always happens to me" and "i'm no good, i'm fat, ugly, stupid" chatter! Sure bad things happen we make mistakes but do we let this define us and our lives.

THE WORLD IS A FRIENDLY PLACE

We have so much to be grateful for, we woke up today, we have our health, we have freedom, we have the gift of LIFE and yet we find ourselves griping about some inconsequential thing. Pay attention to the language you use to with yourself and others especially your loved ones, catch yourself when you start playing back old disempowering memories and replace them with good energizing thoughts.

Being good to yourself starts with speaking and thinking highly of yourself and others. Try thinking of the world as a friendly place working with you to deliver all your heart's desires. Start giving yourself and others compliments. Pay attention to how often you smile and laugh throughout the day.

Just like the sunshine warms and energizes, a more postive attitude and outlook will bring more success into your life. Yes you deserve all of the good things life has to offer. Start by thinking of the world as a friendly place partnering with you to make your dreams come true.

Continued Success and All the Best,

Much Love,

Tom Kaufmann
Coach K
tkaufmanncoaching.com

Lost and Found - The Ted Williams Story

2011-01-06T08:26:00.001-08:00

Did you see the lastest You Tube sensation about a homeless man Ted Williams, no not the famous baseball player, that was standing at an intersection in Ohio with a homemade sign asking for donations.

Lost and Found
Ted Williams is a professionally trained announcer with a golden voice. He falls into drugs and alchohol and becomes homeless. A local Ohio television station drives up to his intersection and offers him a dollar if he just provides a little demo of his voice talents.

Upon opening his mouth and hearing him speak, your first reaction is WOW! What a voice! What a talent. How did he wind up homeless on a corner with talent like that.

How did he become Lost.

Share Your Talents
Besides Ted's incredible voice, something else struck me about him. He genuinely seemed happy despite being homeless standing at an intersection asking for money. He is grateful, appreciative, and thankful to the man in the car offering him a dollar for the opportunity to share his talent. More importanly, someone caring enough to listen to him.

Now 4 million views later Ted is an overnight sensation with job offers pouring in from everywhere.

Let Happiness Find You
The beautiful thing about the story is that here is a person seemingly down on his luck that finds instant fame and relative fortune. A feel good story. Despite being down and out, Ted continued to go out every day with a good attitude and stand at an intersection and literally let his VOICE be heard.

We all need to let our voices be heard. Share our unique talents with the world. Let ourselves be found, and share a little love and kindness with everyone we come in contact with on a daily basis.

You deserve happiness. Let if find you.

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/multimedia/video/video.html?videoUrl=http://www.dispatch.com/live/export-content/sites/dispatch/videos/2011/01/03/golden-homeless-voice-092457.xml

Continued Success and All the Best,

Much Love,

Coach K
Tom Kaufmann
tkaufmanncoaching.com

A New Year - Let's Make it Happy

2011-01-04T11:58:00.000-08:00

When the new year rolls around it's always helpful to express a little gratitude for all the wonderful things in our lives. Here are a few ideas to help make 2011 and beyond a HAPPY new year

1. Do what you love no matter what. Detach from the outcome and do what you love. My friend Anthony is a contactor but his real passion is art. He is a terrific painter and despite having a busy schedule makes time to follow his passion which is paint. Make sure you find time in your life to do what you have a passion for and something that you enjoy. What's the point of having money and material goodies if what your doing is making you and everyone around you miserable. Make the time to do what you love, your whole sense of well being will improve.

2. Practice a little more love and kindness with everyone you meet especially your family that knows all too well how to push your buttons. We often find it easier to be nice to strangers than our loved ones since we are all good at carrying around past hurts and grudges. Lighten up and let it all go. Forgiveness is a wonderful elixir. And don't be so hard on YOURSELF.

3. Give up the need to always be right. When we give up the notion of always being right and always having to win the argument we bring more peace into our lives. Susbstitue the attitude of always being right with the idea of always being kind. Our Egos our always telling us how important it is to be right as if being right means we are better than the other person. When we surrender the idea of always being right, we become more at ease with ourselves and the world around us.

4. Listen more. Talk less. We all want to be heard but most of us love to talk. Most of listen halfheartedly, just waiting for our turn to talk to express our opinion. Try being an understanding listener, just hear the person out let them express themselves. Just listen don't judge. When we listen to someone we're really acknowledging and validating them.

5. Stop judging everyone and everything. Yes, this is a hard one, it seems we've been conditioned to judge everything through our own narrow viewpoint or to be critical. How often to we form a complete opinion of someone when we really don't even know them. When we give up the need to judge others, we in turn stop judging ourselves which allows us to live more peacefully and without the need to put ourselves and others down.

6. Turn down the DRAMA. Avoid conflict and keep things in perspective. While it sometimes seems hard to avoid, living a more peaceful and happy life means eliminating the unecessary conflict and drama that often finds us on a daily basis. When we give up our need to be right and win every argument and disagreement, the conflict and drama in our lives diminishes and our happiness flourishes. How do we reduce conflict? We simply choose not to respond with anger, hatred, or meaness. Remember, it takes two to argue and fight. We don't have to agree but that doesn't mean we have to fight either.

7. Surrender. Giving up the need to be right and to win is liberating. When we live from our passion and creativity we express and share our talents without the need for validation or approval. We do it because we love it, because it brings us joy. Do the thing and it will give you power.

Here's to a wonderful 2011.

Continued success and all the best,

Much Love,

Tom Kaufmann
Coach K
tkaufmanncoaching.com

A Wagging Tail - Puppy Power

2010-12-24T04:06:00.000-08:00

A few family members and friends are getting puppies as gifts this year. I know the little balls of energy are a lot of work especially for Mom and Dad. Don't believe that the kids will take care of the dog! You will be the one feeding, caring, and walking the dog. In the beginning, you are adding an extra child to the family, but the effort is so worth it. We all know of pets transforming lives bringing love and joy to a lonely, listless person or home.

WAGGING OF THE TAIL
What is about pets that attract us. Why do we feel the need to add an extra mouth to feed, care for something else, and add another item to our already long list of things to do. Our daughter has been asking for a dog for 10 years but we kept putting it off. Too much work, not enough time, all that good stuff. Children instinctively are attracted to the love and energy of a pet, they intuitively feel the connection and form an instant bond. What attracts all of us to our pets especially the children is the unconditional love, joy, enthusiasm, and energy that they provide.

When your dog greets you it's tail is ALWAYS wagging! How wonderful is that simple gesture of a wagging tail always greeting us with it's great to see you and I love you no matter what!

JOY
There's a reason we naturally gravitate to the wagging tail, it's called JOY! Our preference is to be around people and things that are uplifting, happy, joyful, and loving. All the more so when those wonderful emotions come without judgement and prejudice. Wouldn't it be nice if humans had a tail and then we could see if the person is happy, sad, or fearful. Well, the good thing is that we do come with our own tails and for us it's the face, more specifically our eyes, our smiles. But how often do our tails wag?

Yes, we have a lot going on in our lives. Adults, children, and families are busier than ever before but maybe we can start treating each other especially our loved ones with a little more kindness and a little more love. Let's leave our past hurts behind, drop the judgement, try to forgive and forget. Live fully in the present moment. Try to smile more, laugh more, drop the frown, lose the negativity, and restore the twinkle in your eyes. Watch how your energy and vitality improve.

Keep that tail wagging!

All the best and continued success.

Much Love,

Tom Kaufmann
Coach K
kaufmanncoaching@gmail.com
tkaufmanncoaching.com

CLIFF LEE IS COMIN' TO TOWN

2010-12-17T14:09:00.000-08:00

CLIFF LEE IS COMIN TO TOWN
Wow! Philly is on fire! Cliff Lee after being spurned by the Phillies a season ago returns after snubbing the offers from Texas and the Yankees, both of which involved more $$$.

Why did Cliff Lee come back to the Phils. I know in his press conference he referenced the passion of the fans, that his wife likes the Philly location, and that the team has the potential to win a championship. But there something a little deeper, something more than meets the eye that is not being discussed or even mentioned.

CHALIE, CHALIE, CHALIE
Simply stated Cliff Lee came back to Philly because of Charlie Manuel. Chalie Manuel the stumblin, bumblin, folksy manager was almost run of town by the snooty, sophisticated media of Philadelphia for not being the sharpest tool in the shed. What the media and others didn't realize is that Charlie knew more about people, interpersonal, and communication skills than the media elite. Charlie of course has expectations of greatness, but he more importantly leads his team as a family with no preferential treatment for the superstars. He is loyal to his players and he expects hard work, dedication, and loyalty in return. When a player is in a slump, he sticks by him and defends him even if it results in personal attacks on the manager.

LEADERSHIP STARTS AT THE TOP
Charlie leads by example. When one his top players didn't run out a ground ball, he was pulled from the lineup and benched. Charlie's thinking is if my top player can lolligag then so will the other guys. The same energy that attracted Roy Halliday to Philadelphia is the same power that brought Cliff Lee. When Roy came to town, he came with a work ethic. His reputation for hard work preceeded him and transcended the entire team. Roy of course won the Cy Young this year as the national league's best pitcher.

Charlie is a players manager, a guy that keeps things loose, sticks up for his guys, and in genuinely interested in the well being of his players. Charlie Manuel is a leader, a guy that is friendly and likeable, but above all loyal. We are all just like Cliff Lee we want to be loved, acknowledged, treated with kindness, and respect. Of course Cliff Lee wanted to play for a guy like that. Who wouldn't!

All the best and continued success.

Much Love,

Tom Kaufmann
Coach K
tkaufmanncoaching.com

A Simple Recipe for Success and Happiness

2010-12-13T09:35:00.000-08:00

How do we become successful? What is success? Success is one of those ideas that is hard to measure, hard to quantify. I often think that success is a result of doing what we want to do with our lives, sharing our unique talents with the world. If we enjoy doing what we love and sharing our talent, then as a result we will be successful and happy. Simple enough right. Yes, but HOW!

How do we becme successful and happy
What ever we set out to accomplish for ourselves, our business, or with others it's important that we keep our committment. I remember a young buck was starting a landscaping business in the neighborhood and dropped a flyer in the mailbox. I was looking for some help with the lawn and gave him a call. After deciding that he seemed like a nice guy, responsible, and earnest. We agreed that he would cut the grass, I was the first house to use him in the neighborhood. Before he started, I offered him some simple advice. DO WHAT YOU SAY YOU'RE GOING TO DO. If we agree that you're going to cut the grass weekly, then show up and cut the grass. Simple right. He provides the service, I provide the cash, but how many times do people and businesses fail in this simple concept.

Big Achievements Start with Small Accomplishments
The product didn't do what was advertised. The contractor that was supposed to show up for the work doesn't show, the mechanic doesn't fix the car, the cable kees going out. Successful people do what they say they are going to do, they follow-through, they keep their committments to themselves and others. Start with the little things you say you will do every day. Do you do what you say you're going to do. You told your child you would take them to the movies, you promised a friend you would call, help someone move, or attend a party. Now things come up, plans change we all know that but these simple acts of keeping our word, keeping our committment, give us the energy, confidence, and determination to accomplish our bigger goals. Without realizing it we develop personal integrity, a trueness to ourselves, and the knowing that I will accomplish what I set out to do.

Keeping Committments To Your Self
Whether you looking to make a million dollars, start you own dream business, accomplish some health or fitness goal, graduate high school or college, or become a better parent. The way to advance in life is to keep your committments starting with yourself. I want to eat healthier, I want to exercise more, read more, be a little kinder to my spouse and kids, spend more time with my family, advance my career, finish that project, take that trip. All these wonderful things start with an idea, a thought. All of these goals, ideas, thoughts, involve many tasks and steps, and just like everything in life we start at the beginning. Begin, and remember when you do stumble, stumble forward, forgive yourself, and keep moving ahead. I'm eating healthier but I occasionally snack, I'm exercising more but sometimes i take a few days off, I'm earning my degree but had a bad test. Whatever it is give yourself leeway while keeping the committment. I do what I say I'm going to do!

Your small successes will become your big achievements!

Continued Success. All the best.

Much Love,

Tom Kaufmann
Coach K
tkaufmanncoaching.com

A Little Dog - Do you Believe in Miracles?

2010-12-05T08:47:00.000-08:00

Miraculous! Miracles. Sounds like such a mysterious, daunting word doesn't it. Yet, they happen every day and all around us if we are open to them. They probably have happened to you on an individual basis if you think about it or reflect on the things you perhaps attributed to luck or good fortune.

I had my own little miracle encounter the other week. I was walking our 15 month old Cavalier King Charles, Shay, who of course is adorable and very lovable. My daughter Morgan has been asking for this dog for the past 10 years of her life! Well, we have a beautiful open space park of 20 plus acres right across a busy road from where we live. So, out we went for a little exercise crossing the busy road late on a Friday afternoon. We got to the park with the sun starting to set and were enjoying our walk.

As I sometimes do, I let her off the leash to romp and roam chasing the birds. She never wanders too far and always comes back. Well for some reason when she was bird dogging, I decided to do a headstand in the nice soft grass, I've been working on balancing myself on my head for several months, and after my headstand of about one minute, I looked up and Shay was gone!

I thought she has to be close so I started calling her and my walk now became a brisk jog. The only other person at the park who was jogging around the area and spotted us earlier asked if I was looking for my dog. As if it wasn't written all over my face, I answered yes and he kindly mentioned that he saw the dog a few hundred yards away near the house by the road. My jog turned into a sprint and I was grateful that at least someone spotted her and I knew she was in the area.

I began calling her with a little more desperation. Twenty minutes passed and the sun was beginning to sink below the horizon and darkness was settling in. At this point, my mind started with all the chatter, "you knucklehead, you lost the dog! How will you face the family, what will you tell your daughter!" I told myself to be quiet, that Shay will be fine and that everything would be OK. I was now debating whether to go back home and get help or continue looking for her. I kept telling myself that there was no way she would cross the busy road on a Friday night, and the very thought sent a shiver through me. I did my best to remain calm and keep the gremlins at bay. Not easy!!

At this point, we had been gone for over an hour and I was ready to head back home with MY tail between my legs, beg forgiveness, and organize a search party. I then heard a voice in the distance calling "Tom, Tom!" My wife Lisa, I knew instantly Shay was safe!!! The tone of her voice told me that everything was OK. She then provided the details that Shay had crossed the busy road, one of my son's friends, Noah, was in a car on the busy road had seen Shay running toward our home and followed her back to our house. Noah called my son and asked if he knew where Shay was. My son explained that yes Shay was with his Dad out for a walk! Noah said that he was pretty sure he was following a solo Shay as she made a beeline for home.

Shay had crossed the intersection on Friday evening with heavy traffic and made it home safely all on her own. I can't tell you how relieved I was and how the first words out of my mouth were Thank You! Noah later explained that the traffic "parted" for Shay and that drivers pulled their cars sideways so that others vehicles could not pass while she crossed safely. Once she navigated the highway, she took the same shortcut we traverse to get to the park running like the wind.

My intellect wonders how Shay made it home on her own that evening. May be it was luck, may be it was good fortune, but I know better. Maybe just maybe it was one of the every day mircales that happen if we just pay attention.

Good girl Shay Shay!

Continued success and all the best.

Much Love,

Tom Kaufmann
Coach K
tkaufmanncoaching.com

Giving and Receiving

2010-11-25T04:57:00.000-08:00

Of course it's only fitting on this wonderful Thanksgiving day to talk about gratitude. Yes, one of those high energy words. The notion of gratitude is one of the simple yet very powerful acts we should do every day. Just like we exercise to keep our bodies healthy, we can take a daily dose of gratitude to keep our spirits high.

A Dose of Vitamin G
Just being thankful for all the things in our lives. Our family, our health, our friends, freedom, sunshine, and even life itself. The list is long. The simple task of waking up and having this day is a great place to start giving thanks. When we forget being grateful for all that shows up in our lives, we disconnect from our joy. Any time we feel a little out of sorts, a dose of gratitude or vitamin G will help revive us.

Being Thankful for Everything in Our Lives
Our world sometimes gets clouded in convincing us that we have no reason to celebrate or be thankful because perhaps life isn't exactly as we planned or that there is some perceived lack in our lives. And yes maybe all the goodies that we desire haven't appeared yet, but we can still go right on being grateful and appreciative for all the wonderful things we do have. Another thing we can do is tell someone how much you appreciate them, how thankful and grateful that they are in your life. When we acknowledge each other we lift each other up.

Giving and Receiving
One of the beautiful things about Thanksgiving is that we have the opportunity to give thanks for all of nature's gifts, for love and kindness, our talents, our peace and well being, and of course for good food and football! And when we think about how to acquire more of the good things in life, we simply remember that by giving the gifts of love, kindness, and friendship they are returned to us in greater numbers.

The universal law of giving and receiving. If we experience a lack in any of area of our lives, try giving away more of what you want, be it money, love, talents, peace, friendship, or kindness. Watch how those areas expand in abundance.

Enjoy and celebrate today and let's remember every day is Thanksgiving!

Continued Success and All the Best.

Much Love,

Tom Kaufmann
Coach K
http://www.tkaufmanncoaching.com/

Michael Vick an Inspiration?

2010-11-16T06:26:00.000-08:00

The Power of Resiliency - Keep Getting Up

Down Not Out
Anyone watching Michael Vick last night had to be inspired by his performance and his story. Here was a man that spent the past two years of his life in prison, a man that disappointed himself and his fans, a man whose life was basically over. Not so fast, he and his friends had other ideas.

Knocked Out
Michael Vick fell hard, was down and out, and left for dead. He wasn't simply knocked down, he was knocked out! Not many thought he could come back and have that incredible performance while the world was watching. But someone gave him another opportunity and believed in him. How many of us have been knocked down or knocked out and how have we responded.

Get Up!
We all get knocked down and even knocked out in life. We lose our jobs, our loves, our money, our careers, our prestige, our health. How do we respond. Do we believe that we can get back up, do we believe that we deserve success and all the good things life has to offer. It's not easy when things seem not to be going your way, but keep the faith. Find a friend that believes in you or a stranger, they are out there! The power of resiliency, to keep going even when things are difficult, to persevere. If Michael and others can come back from such long odds why not you.

Believe and Begin
In Michael Vick's darkest hours, sitting alone in prison, asking himself how he went from the top of the world to this he somehow believed that he could make it back. Just as importantly his friends believed he could make it back. Donovan McNabb who knew Michael Vick since high school beleived he could make a fresh start, and it's ironic how Michael had such a tremendous performance while playing against Donovan and his team.

You are Worthy
Believe in yourself. Look to your friends and family for support in finding your way back to the success you deserve, if you don't have a supportive, loving, nurturing environment reach out those resources are available to you. Coach K in the house! Start by looking around and being grateful for what you do have and then reclaim your joy. You are worthy and entitled to all the wonderful things life offers.

All the Best.

Much Love,

Tom Kaufmann
Coach K
tkaufmanncoaching.com

A Love Letter - True Love

2010-11-09T11:17:00.000-08:00

Maureen, Reeno, a friend of mine passed on Saturday night, she was much too young at the age of 56. Reeno is a generous, kind, selfless person, and a great lover of children. She taught me

How to be a Lover, to love something bigger than yourself
How to be a Giver, even when you think you don't have much to give
How to be a Server, even when there's nothing in it for you
How to be Kind, to help someone at the moment they need you
How to be Selfless, always putting someone else in front of yourself

Reeno never had children of her own, but every time I talked to her she was raising another child in need. She helped raise over 20 children in her home all with limited means! When I tried to talk about financial matters or put the focus back on her, she always pushed me away. She had more important things to do.

Jimmy her husband and lover for over forty years never questioned her, he learned that her mission and his was to help these kids survive and thrive. It was several months before we last spoke, she called me last week and we talked. She wasn't feeling well. I told her how much she meant to me, thanked her, and let her how much I loved her. We were planning to get together when I learned of her passing. She passed in Jimmy's arms on Sunday night.

Reeno taught me about unconditional love. She loved me and her other children unconditionally. She was one of those people that would do anything for you. She never had a lot of money, a nice car, or a nice home but Reeno and Jim would always share whatever they had. It always amazed me that they had so little yet gave so much. Some day I hope to be as rich as Reeno. We all should be as wealthy.

Farewell my Love. And thank you I hope you know how much you mean to me and to so many others.

Tell someone how much you love them today and give them a nice big hug. In honor of Reeno, please remember to help that child.

All the Best and Continued Success.

Much Love,

Tom Kaufmann
Coach K
http://www.tkaufmanncoaching.com/

The Power of Focus - Let's Make the Shift

2010-10-26T08:03:00.000-07:00

What language are we most using most in our lives today. What language do we most tune it to or resonate with. Did you ever notice how often your family, friends, acquantices, and even strangers begin a converstation with by listing all their problems, or how bad things are going, or how the economy/business stinks, the phillies/eagles lost, health problems, and family problems. How 'bout some happy news. Is life really this tough?

Why is this? Focus. Let's shift our focus. We woke up today, it is a gift. Let's be thankful and make the most of today. Let's celebrate our successes, share all the good things all that is right with our lives, talk about the things we are going to do, achieve and accomplish, and move forward. The only way things will improve is if we see them improve. Start talking and thinking abundance, success, happiness, health, goodness and wealth. Begin to attract all the wonderful things you desire into your life. We cannot move to a higher ground by clinging onto a lower lower level. And we need energy to move to a higher level, energy that is attained by joy, goodness, kindness, charity, and of course love. We need to look hard to find these energies in the daily news unless of course we shift our focus.

I'm not saying unfortunate things don't happen but accept it and move on. I received an unexpected bill from my awesome mechanic. Should I pout and complain poor me or is there a better way. What if I shift the focus off of me and think how the service is going to benefit his business and therefore ultimately me. If he is not successful and goes out of business, I no longer have a great mechanic to service our cars. Interesting way to look at it yes, but from an abundant viewpoint the money goes out with love and is ultimately returned with love. Look at sharing your assets as an investment be it money, talents, creativity, caring, thoughfulness, smile or simply a word of encouragement and kindness. Sometimes the simplest acts are the most powerful.

Turn down the negativity. Better yet turn it off! The tv, newpapers, internet, music, movies, video games, advertisers and the media are inundating us with the latest disease, crime, disaster, and tragedy. I'm not suggesting we bury our heads in the sand, we of course acknowledge it and help in any way we can but do we have to live and breathe it every moment of our lives! Do we have to become the event and relive it over and over again in our conversations. There is a better way.

Spend that media time with nature, doing something good for yourself and others, time with family and friends enjoying and celebrating life and all its wonders. Life is very good indeed. We have this day, this moment to be thankful for, to be grateful for. Try this experiment for a week or more watch how your mood shifts, how your load lightens, how your outlook improves, and your opportunities expand.

There is a better way. I'll leave you with two of the most powerful words in the universal vocabulary

Thank You!

All the best and continued success.

Much Love,

Tom Kaufmann
Coach K

Let's Dance - Abundance, Magnetism, Charisma, Attraction

2010-10-13T22:04:00.000-07:00

How does the expression go? Ask and you will receive. Be careful what you ask for. What you focus on expands. And the list goes on. The funny thing about cliches is that there's usually some truth to be found. Asking is so simple, let's just ask without thinking how.

Why do some of us attract love, money, health, success, careers, friends, and happiness. While others perhaps not so much or not in the quantity desired. The simple truth is that we get what we ask for, what we focus on, what we think about, and most important what WE ARE. Take an inventory of the list of words that you would use to describe yourself or ask you family and friends to provide an honest list.

Are you loving, caring, friendly, happy, considerate, joyful, giving, kind, honest, thankful, humble, peaceful and the list of wonderful words goes on. Or perhaps your fearful, angry, frustrated, forceful, arrogant, selfish, jealous, distraught, grumpy, mean, anxious, and depressed. We have all felt these range of emotions at one time or another, it's the human experience. We have all experienced setbacks, loss of loved ones, sickness, dysfunctional families, poverty, financial setbacks, career challenges, abuse, you name it. The key is where do you spend the majority of your time, do you relate to the positive words or the negative words. The reasons as to why we are one way or the other are not as important, as the self awareness or realization that we may be living these lower energy words/life.

With self awareness, comes the ability to change to shift. Just like when we try to change any other habit, smoking, gambling, drinking, food, drugs, etc. I know that I must change to live the life I desire. Change is simply letting go. Letting go of past hurts, sorrows, pains, conflicts. Asking for and giving forgiveness. The important thing is to let all the frustration, anger, pain, conflict go. Let it go!!! If your past is holding you back, move on, leave it behind, stay in the present moment, the now, today is all that matters.

We all at times have experienced joy, love, kindness, high energy, times when we felt great, confident that we could do anything we put our mind to. Most of us muddle around in the middle ground reacting to what life gives us on any particular day. If someone cuts us off on the road, we react and our mood shifts from good/neutral to bad, or it's raining out, or we burnt breakfast, got a flat tire, stocks/401ks are down, boss ticked off, etc. We decide how we're going to live day-by-day based on what happens to us in any given moment. We live Reactive lives. Reacting to the weather, the news, our families, friends, coworkers,and society. And of course, there is a better way.

The better way is those that lead Proactive lives. Those that find contentment, success, achievement, and joy are those that attract those things into their lives. Did you ever wonder that when you feel great, great things seem to happen to you. We are magnets. Postive attracts positive, negative attracts negative. Also positive repels negative. We know this yet we walk around sulking, complaining, listless, bored, and uninspired. Why? What do we think we'll attract?

I know we're all waiting for that spark. Well, the spark is you and you already have it. Just follow your true love, even if your obligations and responsibilities keep you from your true passion take a small step in the direction of your dreams and watch how your mood elevates and your joy expands. And if you're not ready to make that leap just yet try a gentle shift to neutral. Move away from the lower energies, shift to neutral, heal, and try that simple act of kindness first toward yourself and then toward someone else. Just try saying Thank You to someone in your life, even for the act of waking-up today. Yes, it's that easy and that powerful.

One other note. The United States is the most successful, richest, powerful, innovative, country in the history of civilization. In the course of 300 plus years, we've discovered electricity, telephones, running water, airplanes, automobiles, computers, the internet, space travel, and the list goes on. Yet with all this remarkable abundance, we are for the most part unsatisfied. Our top selling drugs are anti depressants, anti anxiety medications, we have high levels of stress, and disease. Why is this? Shouldn't we be the happiest of countries to match our tremendous wealth. The reason for our discontent is that we are not living the lives we choose. Statistics show that most of us are not happy in our current jobs and desire a change. Again, we're forced or more accurately we CHOOSE a job that makes a living and helps care for our responsibilities. This dynamic causes unhappiness, stress, conflict which of course lead to well being issues. The path to wellness, joy, passion, contentment, abundance, satisfaction, and all of the good qualities that come with living a life of inspiration are available to all of us. We simply make the choice. We know what we love to do, what we're good at doing, what makes us happy, and what ultimately best SERVES society.

We are not here for our short time on earth to dance to someone else's music. Listen for your music and get out there and dance! For our universal well being let's begin to lead lives of inspiration. That spark will ignite the world.

Continued success and all the best.

Much Love,

Tom Kaufmann
Coach K

Just Begin

2010-10-12T03:31:00.000-07:00

How many of us talk about pursuing our passion but never really get started. One of the many reasons for not living the life we're meant to, the life we've dreamed about is our fear of letting go, our fear of failure, our duty to responsibilities and obligations. But do we really want to go through our lives, run our race, complete our journey without doing what we really love. Without attempting to learn what our true purpose is, and the contentment that accompanies the loving pursuit of passion, we wind up wading in that middle ground. Successful perhaps but yet still yearning and unfulfilled. That something telling us that there is something more is the voice of inspiration calling to all of us. Guiding us, nudging us to tap into our creative side and share our joy and talents with the world.

I know what you're thinking and what you're saying to yourself. Yes But!!! The big But. I have responsibilities, I have bills, mortgage, children, college education, have to put food on the table, and the list goes on. We've all been there or are there now. A simple suggestion, just begin doing what you love as a hobby, nurture it, heed it, watch how it grows. Paint, write, sing, build, teach, play, volunteer, share, whatever the passion! Get out there and share it with the universe! First, you'll be happier and more content because you're doing what you love. Second, pay attention to the "coincidences" that begin to happen. Friends and strangers start asking about your services and products. Let it grow, stay out of your own way with the doubt/fear, you can live your life of joy if you just allow it to happen.

As the Chinese proverb goes, the journey of a 1000 miles begins with one step. Let's not focus on the end, let us just take one simple step in the direction of our dreams and begin to lead a life of passion.

All the Best.

Coach K

Family - Children

2010-10-02T03:38:00.000-07:00

Familes are the center of our lives for most of us. And while families typically provide the love and support required for inspiration and fulfillment. The family can also be the cause of tremendous dysfunction and turmoil. In the U.S. and throughout the world, we witness this everyday. A successful person crediting their family for their success. Meanwhile, a lost soul of a child or adult going to prison battling drugs, violence, etc. Why the discrepancy? It's more than socioeconomic? Famous movie stars, celebrities, and every day folk experiencing challenges. We see both contented and dysfunctional families across the economic spectrum. Rich and poor families alike have parents, children and family members with problems and challenges, and also successes and triumphs. The important distinction between the families is environment but not of the material kind.

Any family that has a person that is committed to the well being of the children, that is providing a loving, nurturing environment, will find that child/children blossoming and on the road to fulfillment and achievement. We often see children coming to the fore and assuming the parenting role and providing the loving, nurturing environment in the event the parents are not willing/capable. The important things we give our children are not nice homes, fine educations, proper manners/breeding, cars, cell phones, xboxes, macbooks, and the like but simply a knowing that they are loved. The greatest feeling in the world not only for a child and for any of us is to know that we are loved. Let your child find their path, support them, love them. If we are to be content, we must all discover our purpose, our passion. When we force them into our idea of success, our "plan" for them, then we begin to interfere and again conflict arises.

Let them make mistakes like we did, and hopefully they will learn, again like we did. Let them discover the joy of living their dream. If they know they are loved, they have no other choice but to return the love that is given. A child that loves is a child that is content, filled with purpose, which leads to an improved society and better world.

A challenge in two parent households is when one spouse is loving and supportive and the other is the practical disciplinarian. It is important for both parents to be on the same loving wavelength, and avoid the good cop bad cop. If the discipline involves yelling and screaming at the child, conflict, you know you're off base. I know this is not easy but regardless of what the child does the parents answer is always unconditional love. The only road to healing and forgiveness is love. I love you know matter what. For all you single parents out there. A special shout out to the single moms. You often feel the need to sacrifice yourself for the sake of the children and while that's admirable, it's also off base. You must care and nurture yourself. You will need strength and fortitude for the journey, and when you see your lovebirds blossom there is no greater gift to receive.

Let them be children. To be free, have fun, laugh, and be without too much responsibility. They have their entire adult life to be "responsible". In today's fast paced world, the children are growing up way too fast, with schedules that would make our grandparents, even us, cringe and all at such a young age. Remember easy does it, all in good time, balance. Let them be children. Love them support them, speak well of them, and above all NURTURE them. Be mindful of what we speak, our words are very powerful. Stay positive with the child, always encouraging, speak highly of them to friends, family, everyone. Even when they stumble! There is always good to find. Let them know you are always there, no matter what!

We are all connected, like the forest, as it begins with the sapling, it to begins with child. As we know, we are not only responsible to ourselves and our families but to each other. We have some wonderful teachers when it comes to loving children such as, Mother Theresa. And we also have the billions of everyday parents, past and present, that have simply loved and cared for their child. We will elevate as a world society when all the children are loved. We all have an obligation, as the saying goes, to reach out and help that child. Namaste.

Much Love,

Tom Kaufmann
Coach K

Energy

2010-09-29T03:19:00.000-07:00

Energy is something that flows through the universe, through all living things, and of course through us. We attract and maintain energy by focusing on positive thoughts and ideas. Just like a magnet positive attracts and negative repels. Basic laws of science, the way of the universe. And so it is with us. When we focus on low energy emotions of hate, anger, frustration, jealousy, and unkindness we of course attract more of that into our lives and the result is conflict. Conflict leads to stress, which leads to illness, etc.

Now when we focus on the positive emotions of love, kindness, gentleness, caring, service, and humility we attract goodness into our lives. Goodness begets more goodness and the virtuous circle begins. By practicing unconditional love with ourselves, others, and everything in the universe, we begin to understand the principle that loves conquers all.

When you or someone is in a low energy mood, usually the result of being tired/cranky, just try to be quiet. If you can't say anything positive, don't say anything. Again, simple. There can be no conflict without two parties. No argument, no conflict. Peace. By bringing more peace into our lives, we are able to literally attract anything we desire. Just like a magnet.

As the Beatles say, Love is all you need.

Much Love,

Tom Kaufmann