I will live this day as if it is my last....

The Greatest Secret: Scroll V by Og Mandino.


I will live this day as if it is my last.

And what shall I do with this last precious day, which remains in my keeping? First, I will seal up its container of life so that not one drop spills itself upon the sand. I will waste not a moment mourning yesterday’s misfortunes, yesterday’s defeats, yesterday’s aches of the heart, for why should I throw good after bad?

Can sand flow upward in the hourglass? Will the sun rise where it sets and set where it rises? Can I relive the errors of yesterday and right them? Can I become younger than yesterday? No. Yesterday is buried forever and I will think of it no more.

I will live this day as if it is my last.

And what then shall I do? Forgetting yesterday neither will I think of tomorrow. Why should I throw now after maybe? Can tomorrow’s sand flow through the glass before today’s? Will the sun rise twice this morning? Can I perform tomorrow’s deeds while standing in today’s path? Can I place tomorrow’s gold in today’s purse? Should I concern myself over events, which I may never witness? Should I torment myself with problems that may never come to pass? No! Tomorrow lies buried with yesterday, and I will think of it no more.

I will live this day as if it is my last.

This day is all I have and these hours are now my eternity. I greet this sunrise with cries of joy as a prisoner who is reprieved from death. I lift mine arms with thanks for this priceless gift of a new day. So too, I will beat upon my heart with gratitude as I consider all who greeted yesterday’s sunrise who are no longer with the living today. I am indeed a fortunate man and today’s hours are but a bonus, undeserved. Why have I been allowed to live this extra day when others, far better than I have departed? Is it that they have accomplished their purpose while mine is yet to be achieved? Is this another opportunity for me to become the man I know I can be? Is this my day to excel?

I will live this day as if it is my last.

I have but one life and life is naught but a measurement of time. When I waste one I destroy the other. If I waste today I destroy the last page of my life. Therefore, each hour of this day will I cherish for it can never return. It cannot be banked today to be withdrawn on the morrow, for who can trap the wind? Each minute of this day will I grasp with both hands and fondle with love for its value is beyond price. What dying man can purchase another breath though he willingly give all his gold? What price dare I place on the hours ahead? I will make them priceless!

I will live this day as if it my last.

I will avoid with fury the killers of time. Procrastination I will destroy with action; doubt I will bury under faith; fear I will dismember with confidence. Where there are idle mouths I will listen not; where there are idle hands I will linger not; where there are idle bodies I will visit not.

I will live this day as if it is my last.

And if it is my last, it will be my greatest monument. This day I will make the best day of my life. This day I will drink every minute to its full. I will savor its taste and give thanks. I will maketh every hour count and each minute I will trade only for something of value. I will labor harder than ever before and push my muscles until they cry for relief, and then I will continue. I will make more calls than ever before. I will sell more goods than ever before. I will earn more gold than ever before. Each minute of today will be more fruitful than hours of yesterday. My last must be my best.

I will live this day as if it is my last. And if it is not, I shall fall to my knees and give thanks.

Career Day at G.W. Carver Middle School in Miami

I recently had the opportunity to be a guest speaker for the 8th Grade Career Day at G.W. Carver Middle School in Miami. It was truly a privilege to address students at the #1 Middle School in the State of Florida which is also a U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon School of Excellence!

G.W. Carver is a magnet school for international education and advanced academics. All students are studying French, German or Spanish and Italian at an in-depth level. Many of them are proficient in one or more of these languages. As you can imagine, it was an educational experience for me to meet the students and to be in their enviornment for a couple of hours. My Student Ambassador, Natasha, did a great job as my host for the morning. That's her in the photo with me.

While there I got to attend an outstanding presentation by Mr. Andy Henriquez, a motivational speaker.

His inspiring message included six points based on the G.W. Carver mascot, the Hornet. It was wonderful to listen to Andy reinforce enduring principles that are the keys to happiness and success in any endeavor. As a professional coach, working with people to live their best life now, I found his points perfectly aligned with my own. Success principles never change!

Here are Andy's nuggets of wisdom:
1. H is for Heart. Follow your heart and do work that you love. You'll never work a day in your life if you do.
2. O is for Open-minded. Be open-minded and welcome new opportunities.
3. R is for Remove negative people and add positive people.
4. N is for Never give up!
5. E is for Embrace your gifts, visions and dreams.
6. T is for Trust in yourself!

New Beginnings

Happy New Year!

If you could create anything you want this year, what would it be? Would you take a class? Lose weight once and for all? Make your health a priority? Deal with a difficult employer or co-worker? Make a career change? Start a business of your own? Run for office? Make those sales calls? Write a book? Play piano? Take up wind surfing, diving or tennis?

What would you do if you knew you wouldn’t fail? In coaching thousands of people these past nine years, I have seen over and over again that you can accomplish amazing things with the right support.

Here are a few of the successes I’ve enjoyed being a part of:
• An overweight, middle-aged man wants to get in shape. He takes up running as a form of exercise and now has a goal to go over 600 miles this year.
• A medical clinic CEO implements a management coaching program which results in a vibrant new culture, expanded client services, and increased profits.
• A law firm implements a leadership coaching program to maximize their investment in young associates suffering from burnout. It leads to a motivated, high performance team, and a happier workplace.
• A single mom leaves a dead-end corporate job to start a business so she can be at home with her toddler. She is creating a financial future that provides flexibility and unlimited income.
• A high-strung, stressed out workaholic agrees to take a vacation – his first in over six years.
• A super successful woman who has put her career first for many years decides to make herself priority, and in the process discovers the love of her life - and marries him!

It’s fun to be on the journey with such incredible people who are willing to step out of their comfort zone and try something different. What I know to be true is that ordinary people can accomplish extraordinary results with support, guidance and accountability.

I would love to work with you this year to achieve your goals. As your coach, I will help you create the structure to make success easier, provide perspective and guidance to keep you on course, and hold you accountable for transforming your dreams into reality.

Are you ready to go for your goals? Are you ready to make changes to create your best year ever? Are you ready to play BIG?

Let’s get started! Here are your first steps:

1. Release the past. So you didn’t accomplish everything you wanted in 2009? So what. No one else did either. The past is over and done. Let it be. Where you are now is more important than where you have been.

2. Clarify your vision. What do you want? Write a description of what you want in as much detail as possible. Spend time visualizing your desires every day.

3. Commit to your success. Commitment means dedication. It means no turning back. Commit to making 2010 your year no matter what. Take action now.

4. Get support. Any goal is easier to reach with a success partner to keep you on course, to encourage you, and challenge you to be your best. Enlist a friend, find a mentor, or hire a coach.

Go for it! Make 2010 your year!

Get Organized for the New Year

Check out the Miami Herald Balancing Act for excellent tips on getting organized for the new year.

You’ll find my tip at the end of the column.
http://www.miamiherald.com/business/story/1411021.html

What is one thing you will do now to get organized for the new year?

Make 2010 your year to go for it!

Transition: Strategies for Staying Focused

Transition can be an exciting adventure. It can be revitalizing, refreshing and renewing. It can also be stressful, draining and frightening when you are facing uncertainty and confusion about the future. It can be difficult to see opportunities when you are gripped in fear and focused on what is missing or what may go wrong. Finding ways to manage the process can help you feel more in control of your situation and focused to move forward.

Working with clients to reinvent themselves and find new employment in this crazy economy is very rewarding. Helping a former corporate executive take steps to launch a new firm, a former sales professional retool to follow his dream to become a chef, and a mother of three young children leave the rat race to start a business that will allow her to spend more time with family have all been extremely satisfying.

What I'm finding is that, in a world where job security no longer exists, more and more people are looking for alternatives to traditional employment. More people are starting their own business as a way to build something for themselves, to gain control over their financial future, and to create a lifestyle they truly enjoy.
The internet opens a wealth of options for virtual self-employment, connections and business building activities that can help catapult your career to the next level. Home based businesses and network marketing are options that typically have low startup costs and come with proven success systems to follow.

Whether looking for employment, going to the next level in your current job, or starting a new business, here are six tips to help you with your next career move:
1. Be positive. A positive outlook will help you stay motivated and able to see possibilities that you might otherwise miss. Know that something good will happen as long as you are on the path and focusing on the positive.

2. Keep it simple. Put together a plan and begin taking consistent action every day. Stay focused by keeping your eye on the goal and following your plan.

3. Work your network. When a door is unlocked, it is easier to open. You may have a gold mine at your fingertips through existing contacts. Ask them for referrals and introductions.

4. Be open to new ideas. If you are willing to look at new possibilities, you will likely be amazed at what shows up. Be open to ideas that may lead you in the direction of your next career.

5. Make your self-care a priority. Going through change takes energy, clarity and focus. Building time into your schedule for exercise, eating well and getting enough rest is important to your overall stamina and well-being.

6. Express gratitude. Give thanks each morning for the gift of a new day filled with potential new beginnings. Focus on what you can do and appreciate what you have. What we appreciate appreciates.
Schedule your “Discovery Session” now!
Get started right away with an initial session at no charge designed to put you on the path to success. Call to schedule your “Discovery Session” and get started to take yourself and your business to the next level!

Web: www.SmoothSailingSuccess.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/execlifecoach

Blog: www.SmoothSailingSuccess.blogspot.com

Smiles are contagious

Ideas to help make smiling a habit in your world...

1.Create a few positive mental anchors – a visual of your child or spouse, a pet, a joke or a hilarious moment. Give each image a name and write it down. If time allows, pause and reflect on one just before you make contact with someone.

2.Place a mirror labeled with the word "smile" on your desk or in a common area. Use it to remind and check yourself throughout the day or before you make a call or talk with someone.

3.Post or carry actual pictures that make you smile. Change them periodically so their effect remains fresh. Make one the background on your computer.

4.Get a friend or coworker to help by smiling at you – beaming, really – when they see you frowning. It will serve as a silent but effective reminder of what you're trying to accomplish.

5.Just before you make contact with someone, imagine you're about to see an old friend you haven't seen in a long time... remember how lucky you really are.
6.Watch how others begin to reflect and return your smile (encouraging you to smile even more).

Smiles are contagious. It's no myth... it's biology.

Scientists have shown that seeing a smile triggers an automatic response in our brains which causes us to smile, too (a phenomenon known as "facial feedback"). This response in turn creates positive emotions.

—"Facial Efference and the Experience of Emotion," by P.K. Adelman and R.B. Zajonc (1989).

Are you smiling yet?

Are you getting in the way of your success?

Step aside and let success find you. Sounds easy, doesn’t it? Often, the biggest roadblock to your success is you. As much as we would like to point to something or someone else for our failure and inability to achieve our most cherished goals, at the end of the day there is really only one place to look if you want to break free and create your best life now.

When you are blaming people or circumstances outside yourself, you become a victim, powerless to make changes that will improve your life. Taking responsibility for your success puts you in the driver’s seat where you can then take action from an empowered position.

Karen is an excellent example of someone standing in the way of her own success. A talented, successful pharmaceutical sales professional with over 10 years of experience, Karen had career aspirations that were going unrealized. Her dream had always been to open her own spa, but the dream had faded as she worked to climb the career ladder and sustain the lifestyle she had created. Old, worn out, limiting beliefs were holding Karen back from creating a life she truly loved.

By the time Karen called me to coach with her, things were rapidly changing in her world. She was losing her job due to downsizing and was concerned about finding another position. Fear was holding her back from moving forward. Blaming the company, the economy and other outside factors for her situation only held her captive and unable to take focused action.

We began with the steps outlined below to support Karen in creating an inspiring future. Rather than remain stuck, we put together a strategy to get into action and make powerful change to move forward.

Here are ideas for getting out of your own way:

1. Take responsibility for your life. Decide that you will take charge of your future and stop blaming outside circumstances. You are the only one who can change your outcomes.

2. Be present in the present moment. Rather than fretting about what is past or worrying about what may happen in the future, focus on being in the present moment and take full advantage of it.

3. Do your best and let it be. Stop overanalyzing your performance and constantly criticizing yourself for not having done better. Trust that you are doing the best you can and acknowledge yourself for that.

4. Express gratitude. Stop focusing on what you lack and be appreciative for what you have. What you appreciate appreciates.

Schedule your “Discovery Session” now!
Get started right away with an initial session at no charge designed to put you on the path to success. Call to schedule your “Discovery Session” and get started to take yourself and your business to the next level!