Achieving Goals, Coach 4 U Blog

Only 12 % of New Year’s resolutions successful

8 Comments

How is it going with the New Year’s resolutions? Still trying to stick to the resolutions? How about participating at a psychological research study? (http://richardwiseman.com/, link to study sign up at the bottom)
Prof. Richard Wiseman, the lead researcher of this online research project, says that according to previous research the success rate for New Year’s resolutions is only about 12 %. Wiseman and his team tracked last year the resolutions of more than 3000 people from the US and the UK. Resolutions with the highest success rate (between 24 and 32 %) have been: “enjoy life more”, lose weight, improve fitness, and limit or stop drinking alcohol and/or smoking.

Wiseman says that the sexes should follow different strategies to make success more likely.

Men should follow the rules for SMART goals (see previous blog entry) and divide the” big goal” into easier achievable sub goals. It also helps them to remind themselves frequently of the benefits for their life if they achieve their goals. A helpful structure for men would therefore be to write down a list of benefits and put the list in a place where they see it often.

Women increase their chances of sticking to their resolutions by telling others about them. Therefore Wiseman advises women to go public with their pledges by telling friends and relatives. In addition, women need reminders that slipping up once in a while is no reason for giving up altogether.

As I said in a previous posting, breaking old habits and adopting a new lifestyle needs time. Therefore, be gentle with yourself and take your time. View “failures” to stick to your resolutions as temporary setbacks and try it again.

Coach 4 U Blog, Healthy Lifestyle

Too little sleep could make you fat

1 Comment

An Australian/ New Zealand study about sleep in seven year old school kids found a link between too little sleep and obesity. The 519 children in the study slept an average of 10 hours per night. Those, who got less than 9 hours of sleep, were significantly more likely than the others to be overweight or obese. They were also at a higher risk for mood swings. The study is published in the Journal Sleep. (www.sleepjournal.org

Another study published several months ago found a similar link between sleep duration and body weight for adults. It seems that more time being awake translates to more time spent eating.

So, for those of us with a New Year resolution to sleep more, there is a new pro argument: sleep instead of diet. Works for me!

Achieving Goals, Coach 4 U Blog

SMART Goals

4 Comments

How is it going with the New Years resolutions?

Already struggling? It’s an old game, almost a ritual – we start every year fiercely determined to make important changes in our life, from losing weight to exercising more, or sleeping more…..and then, after two weeks, it’s over and we are back to square one. The problem:  we don’t do it right with the resolutions. Psychologists say that setting SMART goals will increase success rates.

Here is what the acronym SMART stands for with respect to resolutions and goals:

S= Specific: Make a specific resolution. Instead of “eating healthier” , “I will eat two apples per day”

M= Measurable:  Make your progress measurable. Example: if you want to lose 10 pounds overall, then losing one pound per week is measurable.

A= Attainable: Be realistic. Don’t hope  to lose 20 pounds in two months and then keeping the pounds off.  For permanent weight loss you must take it slow. The same applies to all major lifestyle changes. If you didn’t exercise at all before, don’t expect to do it suddenly one hour per day. Unrealistic expectations are the main reason that people give up on their resolutions.

R= Relevant:  Is your health relevant to you? If not, why a resolution concerning a healthy lifestyle? Don’t do it, just because your friends want to improve their health. You won’t stick to health related resolutions anyway and it would be just a waste of time. Don’t make more thean 2 or 3 resolutions and stick to things you are passionate about.

T= Time-bound: Set a time frame within which you will realize your resolutions. As I said before, drastic lifestyle changes are not happening in one minute.

If you are unsure how these rules apply to your personal goals, I like to offer you my life coaching services. Together, we will find the right goals for you. Goals that are really important to you and structured in a way that you have the best chances to turn them into reality.

Coach 4 U Blog, Happiness

Two steps for more happiness

1 Comment

It’s time again for New Year’s resolutions. Here, two suggestions that will most definitely improve your life satisfaction and happiness.

Step 1: Have a gratitude journal.

Write at least once a week about 5 things that you feel grateful for. Set aside a specific day and time to do that so that you won’t forget (i.e. every Sunday after breakfast).

Researchers at the University of California recently published the results of an experiment about the impact of gratitude. Subjects in an experimental group that had such a gratitude journal for ten weeks reported an improved outlook on their life. They felt more optimistic about the future, slept better, spent more time exercising and had less health issues.

Step 2: Each morning, start your day by thinking about something fun that you will do during the day.

If you can’t find anything already planned into your schedule, then add it. It doesn’t need to be something big. Plan to call your best friend, go to your favorite joint for lunch or go to the movies in the evening. Just make sure that every day there is something that you do for your own enjoyment.

FAQs about Coaching

What is coaching?

Leave a comment

First, coaching is about helping you to get what you want. Coaching offers the possibility for change.

Coaching is based on a special relationship between the coach and the client:

As your coach I assist you in becoming clear about what you want in your life. I will always focus on you–on your thoughts, concerns, dreams, and wishes. I will work with you to discover your values, goals and life purpose. You will find out what you feel that you “must try out or do” to avoid having regrets about missed opportunities later in life. You will create a vision of your future and I will support you to make changes in your life that are needed to achieve what you most desire.

FAQs about Coaching

What will I get from coaching?

Leave a comment

At the end of our coaching relationship, you will know what you are passionate about. You will understand what has kept you from achieving your full potential. You will be clear about what you absolutely have the ability to accomplish. You will have developed a plan for how to get where you want to be. You will take action to turn the vision of your future into reality. You will know how to live the life of your dreams.

FAQs about Coaching

Benefits of coaching?

Leave a comment

The benefits of coaching are described by the International Coach Federation as follows:

”Individuals who engage in a coaching relationship can expect to experience fresh perspectives on personal challenges and opportunities, enhanced thinking and decision making skills, enhanced interpersonal effectiveness, and increased confidence in carrying out their chosen work and life roles. Consistent with a commitment to enhancing their personal effectiveness, they can also expect to see appreciable results in the areas of productivity, personal satisfaction with life and work, and the achievement of personally relevant goals.”

FAQs about Coaching

Is coaching the same as psychotherapy?

Leave a comment

Coaching differs from therapy because coaching sessions are primarily focused on the future. Coaching puts emphasis on moving forward, learning and achievement. Therapy, on the other hand, puts emphasis on healing emotional pain and/or dysfunctional behavior stemming from past experiences. Coaches help clients to make changes in their lives by discussing their present lives, creating a vision of the future, and designing an action plan. Typical elements of therapy like analyzing past events, understanding emotions, or determining the cause of behaviors are normally not addressed in a coaching session. As co-active coach, I view my clients as naturally creative, resourceful, and whole people.

FAQs about Coaching

What is co-active coaching?

Leave a comment

I’m trained as co-active coach by the Coaches Training Institute (CTI) with headquarter in the San Francisco Bay area. CTI is according to their website  “the largest in-person coach training school in the world… Co-Active Coaching is a unique, proactive alliance in which coach and client work together as equals to meet the needs of the client. Fervent curiosity is more important for the coach than specialized knowledge. Skills and techniques are important; authenticity and connection are more important.
CTI holds that all people are naturally creative, resourceful, and whole, and capable of finding their own answers to whatever challenges they face. The job of the Co-Active Coach is to ask questions, listen, and empower rather than instruct and advise. We also believe that all parts of people’s lives – their careers, relationships, recreation, personal growth, and finances for example – are interrelated and may be addressed on the way to the client’s goal. We coach the whole person to extraordinary results.

Do you sometimes feel that your life could be better? As your Personal Life Coach, I will help you to clarify your goals, increase your happiness and live a fulfilling life. Coaching by phone, email or in person.