Don't let your Dreams Die

                            "If your dreams don't scare you they are not big enough."

If we are going to live the life of our dreams, we must always be a little scared.

We have to push beyond our comfort zone, so that we can stretch just a little bit more. It might feel very uncomfortable, but that is when we grow.

A lot of people know what their next step is, but they don't take it.
They think about it. They talk about it and they create an excellent plan.....but they don't take the necessary step in order to make their dream or vision happen. Then they get stuck.

Happiness and feeling alive happens when we grow and in order to grow we have to step into uncertainty and being OK with not needing to know the outcome.

A lot of us want to know the outcome before we even attempt to step into the unknown, but that isn't possible and instead we retreat and stay stuck in our comfort zone.

Life is about growth and taking steps into the direction of our dreams. It is about having faith that it will work out.

Life requires courage, boldness, faith and also knowing in my heart that my intuition will always guide me and that I will be supported.

In order for our dreams to not die ............

We have to build our courage muscles
Take a giant step into the unknown and feel the uncertainty and get comfortable with it
Get used to taking some risks
Face your fears of the unknown

Are you ready to get comfortable with feeling uncertainty every day?

                                     Karin Glannstam - Personal Success Coach
                                                 www.karinglannstam.com

Á few Tips on how to Become an Active Listener

The most valuable gift we can give someone is our undivided attention and being able to be an active listener.
So how do we do this?

Rule #1...... Listen without interrupting. When someone wants to talk to you, you must put aside all distractions. Turn off the TV or radio. Put down the newspaper and turn off your cell phone. Face the other person directly and concentrate 100% on what the other person is saying.


Rule #2.....Pause before replying. Take a few seconds to carefully consider what the other person has said. When you pause you are avoiding the risk of interrupting the other person if he/she is just reformulating their thoughts.


Rule #3.....Never assume that you you know what the other person is thinking or feeling. If you are unclear .....simply ask "can you explain some more?" or "how do you mean?" when you are seeking clarity you are demonstrating to the other person that you really care about what he/she is saying and also that you are interested in understanding how the other person thinks and feels.


Rule #4.....Is for you to feed back what the other person has said. This is where you are letting the other person know that you are paying attention. When you repeat back what the other person has just said, in your own words, you prove to him/her that you were really listening. "did i hear you right, when you said?"

                                        Karin Glannstam - Personal Success Coach
                                                  www.karinglannstam.com

Simplify.....Simplify.....Simplify

                    "Simplifying is about gaining control of your life and your possessions,
       creating more time to do the things you want to do and spend with the people you love."


       "The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so the necessary may speak."
                                                           - Hans Hoffman   


Are you trying to achieve some kind of balance in your life?

Have you told yourself lately that you need to stop working so much and spend a little more time with family and friends, stop spending money on things that you don't need, start creating some healthier habits like eating better and exercising, getting enough sleep so that you can be more productive during the day or maybe starting a daily meditation routine?

Maybe what you are looking for is a way to just simplify your life, but you don't know how.
In other words......Do you need some breathing room?

Here are a few tips to help you create some breathing room in your life.
Like they say......Less is usually more

Here we go.........

- Stop comparing yourself to others.......... in other words, stop trying to keep up with "the Jonses"
You want a bigger house, fancier car, boat, expensive vacations, joining the right clubs.
That is a lot of stress trying to keep up with all of that and you might spend money that you really don't have to spend just so you can look good to people that you really don't care about anyway.
Before you make your next purchase ask yourself.....Is this going to bring value to my life......Do I really need this?

- Forgiveness........get rid of anger, hate, revenge, jealousy. Don't drag your emotional baggage around with you everywhere. It will weigh you down. Learn to forgive and to let things go.

- Take a good look at the people that you surround yourself with. Are they being supportive of you and your dreams. Sometimes the people closest to you can also weight you down Maybe they are just being "very negative". Learn to de-clutter your frienships. Learn to spend quality time with people that you truly care about and that cares about you. When I talk about quality time I am referring to time without checking your cellphone every 10 seconds. Learn to shut down your cell phones and your electronics. Be present!

Less stress, less clutter, fewer bills. De-clutter your life and you will be able to focus your energy on the things that matter most.

                                          The simplification of life is one of the steps to 
                                                               INNER PEACE."             
                        
                                         Karin Glannstam - Personal Success Coach
                                                           www.karinglannstam.com

Great Book about Relationships...."Getting the Love That You Want"

In today's blog I want to let you know about a fantastic book that I just finished reading.


Getting the love that you want......... by Harville Hendrix, Ph.D.


It was originally published in 1988 and it provides a road map for partners seeking a path to intimacy and passionate friendship.

Introduction


In today's society, you are encouraged to view marriage as a box. First you choose a mate. Then you climb into a box. Once you have a chance to settle in, you take your first close look at your boxmate. If you like what you see, you stay put. If you don't, you climb out of the box and scout around for another mate. In other words, marriage is viewed as an unchanging state, and whether or not it works depends upon your ability to attract a good partner. The common solution to an unhappy marriage, the one chosen by nearly fifty percent of all couples, is to divorce and start all over again with a new and, it is hoped, better mate.
    The problem with this solution is that there are a lot of pain involved in switching boxes. There is the agony of dividing up children and possessions and putting aside treasured dreams. There is the reluctance to risk intimacy again, fearing that the next relationship, too, might fail. And there is the emotional damage to the other inhabitants of the box-the children-who grow up feeling responsible for the divorce and wonder if they will ever experience lasting love.
     Unfortunately, the only alternative many people see to divorce is to stay in the box, tighten the lid, and put up with a disappointing relationship for the rest of their lives. They learn to cope with an empty marriage by filling themselves up with food, alcohol, drugs, activities, work, television, and romantic fantasies, resigned to the belief that their longing for and intimate love will never be realized.
     In this book I propose a more hopeful and, I believe, more accurate view of love relationships. marriage is not a static state between two unchanging people. Marriage is a psychological and spiritual journey that begins in the ecstasy of attraction, meanders through a rocky stretch of self-discovery, and culminates in the creation of an intimate, joyful, lifelong union. Whether or not you realize the full potential of this vision depends not on your ability to attract the perfect mate, but on your willingness to acquire knowledge about hidden parts of yourself.          by Harville Hendrix


Read this book....
It will teach you a lot about yourself. Even if you are a single person and not in a relationship right now ......you will learn a lot and you will understand why you have reacted the way you have in the past and learn new ways of thinking and doing things.

                                        Karin Glannstam - Personal Success Coach
                                                     www.karinglannstam.com       

I Am Not Perfect and that is OK

                                                       "I may not say everything perfectly.
                                                         I may not do everything perfectly.
                                                        But if my heart is in the right place,
                                                 and I try my best, then I am OK with that."


                                                                "I am not perfect
                                                                 Never have been
                                                                   Never will be."


I am a work in progress.....and so are you.

I am a student of my own life and it makes my life very interesting.

We are all beginners when it comes to our next new step in life.

In order to learn and grow we must pay attention to our own behavior, our words and our reactions.

And when things get off track we must learn to make corrections.

Often we want our lives to look perfect. We want to appear that we have all our stuff together........ all the time.

I know that so many times we pretend that our lives are perfect, but why live in an illusion that creates the need to appear perfect.
It is way too much effort, it also creates an enormous amount of pressure and it drains our mental energy.

I know that I lose my temper and sometimes I come unglued (especially around my computer) I am not perfect and I don't want to act like I have all my stuff together all the time, because I certainly don't. I know I can always  improve the way I react......there is always a choice.

So......stop wasting precious mental energy on an illusion and start keeping your life real and...... remember to always take the next new step.....even if it's not perfect.

                                     "Remind yourself that it's OK not to be perfect."

                                       Karin Glannstam - Personal Success Coach
                                                  www.karinglannstam.com

React vs Respond

We all experience plenty of negative people and situations in our lives. Choosing to respond instead of reacting helps us positively to control our attitudes and our lives.

Let me give you an example of what I am talking about.......

You are on your way to work in the morning and someone cuts you off on the freeway...

Reaction.....you get so mad, curse the driver of the other car and then to top it off you will remain mad for several hours after the incident.

Now let's look at a different way to deal with the same situation.

Response.....Instead of getting mad a the driver... you can tell yourself.....he must be in a hurry to get somewhere. Maybe he is late for an appointment, and instead of getting mad you can just send him some love.

And remember to never take anything personally. The driver of the other car doesn't even know you. He is probably doing the same thing to several people on the freeway on that particular day.

So what is going on here?

When you react to a situation, you make an emotional and subconsciously decision. Because of how your previous experiences and prior choices have programmed your subconscious mind. Reacting to a situation will most likely not help you achieve the best outcome or result.

But if you respond to a situation you are making a constructive and conscious decision.
When you react, your emotional instinct is in control, with very little thought of the long-term consequences.
On the other hand when you respond, your brain is fully involved and engaged, your self-awareness is high and you have the long-term consequences in mind.

Reacting....or Responding...is a choice!

                                              Our ability to choose is a gift!
                                     Karin Glannstam - Personal Success Coach
                                                www.karinglannstam.com
                    

Self-Discipline....Stop Wasting Valuable Time

                                    "Discipline.......is doing what needs to be done
                                                even when you don't want to."


                             "Suffer the pain of discipline or suffer the pain of regret."


We all know that discipline has a great impact on our lives and our future.

If you want to create a fulfilling career or work, there are few thing that you might not be aware of.

All the things we waste valuable time on ..........
like constantly checking  Facebook, twitter, instagram and also checking our emails all throughout the day, talking on the phone ..............those examples are pretty obvious.

But did you know that almost 37% of work time is wasted on conversations on personal subject with coworkers or friends that has nothing to do with work.
WOW...that is a lot.

Unfortunately when you waste your time while you should focus on your work, your work doesn't go away. It continually builds. Stress mounts up until you force yourself to do the work.....maybe doing it at the last minute and since you probably are stressed at this time there is a big chance that you will end up making mistakes.

A couple of tips to avoid this ........

- First make a list of the things that you do from the time you start working on Monday, until you finish on Friday.
Write down everything that you do...including checking your email, texting, surfing the Internet, chatting with friends and co-workers on the phone or in person, reading the newspaper, conducting personal business during the day.

- Make a list of the 5 most important things you need to accomplish that day...and stick with it. Don't stop until you have completed the list. Discipline yourself to do this every day that you work.

- Turn off your cell phone and also assign a designated time once or twice per day when you check your emails. If the email isn't important and related to work... discipline yourself to reply to it later when you are through working.


One of the biggest time wasters is people wanting to talk with you and distracting you from getting your work done.

You must constantly fight against distractions and interruptions.

You must learn to discipline yourself. When you work........ you work.

Decide to stop wasting valuable time on things that are not important .

Decide today that, from now on that you are going to actually work all the time you are at work ....and this also includes if you are working from home.

So are you going to make a list today...... to figure out where you are wasting valuable time during the week?
What do you need to stop doing right now.....and what do need to start doing today?


                         "Never give someone the opportunity to waste your time twice"

                                      Karin Glannstam - Personal Success Coach
                                                    www. karinglannstam.com

Getting off the Fence

We have all heard that before you get going on creating the life that you want you must have a game plan or a blueprint of what you are trying to do.

You must first figure out where you are right now and also where you want to be in the future.

Ok....so now you have figured out what your reallly want and now it is time to create the perfect plan that will take you from where you are today to where you want to be in the future.

So many people will create the perfect gameplan but then forget to take action. Without taking action ...nothing will happen and you are just stuck with it a great gameplan.

Taking action is the key.

If this sounds like you....if the missing step is taking action this coaching tip is for you!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgTVqCTfu4M

                                          Karin Glannstam Personal Succcess Coach
                                                      www.karinglannstam.com

Your Own Unique Path in Life

                                    "There is a lesson in almost everything that you do,
                                       and getting the lesson is how you move forward. 
                                                  It is how you enrich your spirit."

We are all enrolled in "life" or as I call it......"Earth School"

Each and every day you will all be faced with the opportunity to learn new lessons.
Some lessons may be more enjoyable than others and some of the lessons you might even hate and wish you would never had to deal with. But they are all part of what you must learn in Earth School.

Each and every person has their own unique purpose in life and they will have their unique life path, totally designed for them and very different from the life path of anyone else.

As you are enrolled in Earth School you will be presented with numerous lessons that you must learn in order to fulfill your purpose. The lessons are being designed especially for you, and ONLY YOU.

Learning these lessons is going to be key to discover the meaning of your own life.

Once you have learned the basic lessons you will move on to the next, more advanced lesson by your teacher....The Universe.

In every circumstance that surfaces in your life...there will be a new lesson presented to you.

When you experience betrayal.....there is a lesson.
When you experience loss.....there is a lesson
When your experience happiness...yet a new lesson by...... The Universe.

For every event in your life, there is always a lesson that must be learned.

If you fail a lesson, it will be presented to you once again..... and again..... and again. The lesson will be presented to you until you understand and learn it.  Of course it is completely up to you if you want to learn from each and every lesson presented to you.

As you travel through life on your path you will encounter lessons that others don't have to face and of course others will face their own sets of lessons, uniquely designed for them to deal with..... by The Universe.

You must always stay on your own path and always learn the lessons specifically designed for you. Don't compare your path to other people's paths. Their lessons will be different than yours.

Remember you will only be faced with lessons that you are capable of learning and that are designed  to make you stronger and make you grow.

The process and lessons may not be easy, but the reward of learning these specific lessons will be well worth it.

As you are working on your "Life Lessons" and fulfilling your own true purpose you will discover amazing gifts within yourself that you never knew you had.

                                             
                                       Karin Glannstam - Personal Success Coach
                                                       www.karinglannstam.com

What is Your Desired Outcome?

One of the secrets to success is to BELIEVE.
Believe that it is possible for you and that you are worthy of success.

But first you have to ask yourself.....What is my desired outcome or what result am I wanting to accomplish?




With this you focus on your action by keeping the finish line in mind. Focusing with the end in mind will keep you on track and moving forward toward your desired outcome/result.

Your thoughts directly lead to your results.

Understand that your thoughts are going to affect your feelings and emotions, and those feelings and emotions are going to, affect your actions. Those actions will then affect your results.

Recognize that whenever you have a negative thought, you need to immediately push it aside and refocus to a more positive thought.
Thought......Feeling......Action.......Result

Believe in your own vision, be courageous and fearless. You must know and decide what you really...really....really want and then relentlessly go for it.

If you don't have this kind of determination and resolution toward your vision/goal, then it will be nearly impossible to reach those goals.

It is important to believe in yourself and your vision and put yourself out there.

This will create a "law of attraction" to yourself, allowing the right people, opportunities and events to line up.

Always ask for what you want and believe that you can have it.

If you never ask.....the answer is always NO.

                                       Karin Glannstam - Personal Success Coach
                                                    www.karinglannstam.com

How to Develop Better Habits...Starting Today

                                 "To Change your life....change your habits."

                                             "We are what we repedately do. 
                                  Excellence then, is not ans act, but a habit." 
                                                          - Aristotle

If you would like to create higher levels of success in your life you more than likely have to drop some of your habits and replace them with some more productive ones.

I have read that up to 90 % of our behavior is habitual.


Whatever habits you currently have established are producing your current level of results. In other words .......your habits determine your outcomes.

There are two steps for changing your habits.

First make a list of all the habits that negatively impact your future. The ones that are not productive.
If you can't figure it out by yourself, ask others to help you to figure out what they believe are your limiting and non-productive habits.

Here is a list of some common unsuccessful habits...Maybe you have some of these habits?

- Not retuning phone-calls
- Procrastination
- Arriving late for appointments
- Talking over others' comments, instead of listening
- Answering the phone during family/friend/spouse time
- Eating unhealthy food (fast food)
- Staying up late watching TV
- Spending more that you earn
- Gossiping
- Smoking
- Drinking to much alcohol

Once you have identified your negative habits, the second step is to choose a better, more productive success habit and develop systems that will help support them.

For example, if your goals is to become healthier and start going to the gym every morning, a system that might work for you is to go to bed an hour earlier so you can get going one hour earlier in the morning.

Maybe you want to start to meditate for 20 minutes every morning before the rest of the family gets up, just set your alarm for 20 minutes earlier in the morning and get our of bed and get your meditation going.

If you want to start drinking more water every day, put a sign up that says "Drink Water"

Some food For Thought

What could you achieve in a year if you took on a few new habits?

Start today by listing 4 new habits you would like to establish in the next year. By systematically adding one new behavior at a time, you can dramatically improve your overall lifestyle.


Suggestions
To be successful..... Partner up with someone and hold each other accountable and follow the "No Exception Rule"

                                            
                                           Karin Glannstam - Personal Success Coach
                                                      www.karinglannstam.com
                                                     

It is OK to Feel Uncomfortable while Getting out of Your Comfort Zone

When was the last time you tried something new?

Something that scared you and that you put off doing because you felt fear and  uncomfortable just thinking about doing it?

Maybe it was leaving your old job and trying on a new one ....a job that you felt would better fit your purpose and your vision?

Leaving a bad relationship but you were too scared to be on your own...didn't think you could handle it by yourself?


                                         "Never be afraid to try something new,
      because life gets boring when you stay within the limits of what you already know."


If we want to be able to create something new in our lives......we have to get out of our comfort zones....... feel awkward and uncomfortable .....for a while.

It is perfectly OK to feel uncomfortable for a while.

Check Out this New Blog/ Video

When was the last time you tried something new?

 

                                               Karin Glannstam - Personal Success Coach
                                                          www.karinglannstam.com