You Are the Boss of You

So far, 2012 is off to a great start here at FFUD - we've had an amazing series of guest bloggers share their expertise in getting organized, fit, energized, and looking fabulous, and now I'm bringing in the closer!  Here is professional coach Ettie Shapiro to tell us how to incorporate what we've learned into our lives. 

Ettie coaches individuals and companies, and in our 45 minute consultation she listened to me go on about my shortcomings and insecurities until she asked simply, "what has worked for you in the past?"  And from there, she helped me identify my strengths.  I've faced every challenge since feeling somehow more capable.  More the boss of me.  I hope you'll take a look at her advice and catch up on any of the guest posts you may have missed.  I am looking forward to hearing how your life changes as a result!

You are the Boss of You
by Ettie Shapiro

I hope that you all had a wonderful January, the first month of an incredible 2012!  I was sure helped along by Patty and her fabulous guest bloggers:  nutritionist Karim Flugel, personal trainer Michelle Collins, professional organizer Mary Carlomagno, and style consultant Bridgette Raes, who have all given inspiring advice for how to create our best year ever.

My role is to sum up the wisdom that has been delivered to us this month, and provide some tips for how to incorporate them into your life.  All the guest posts had the common theme of changing behavior to achieve our goals, greater happiness and success. So, here are the tips that I think they’ve illustrated about setting and achieving goals:

1-Align your behavior with your values.

In "Fit and Happier" Michelle Collins shared how the pain she experienced seeing her mother suffer due to poor health and no exercise made her realize how important it is to maintain good health and fueled her desire to show her children how enjoyable life is when you’re fit. The high value that Michelle places on health and exercise keeps her committed to her fitness goals.

Goals that are aligned with your personal interest and values contribute more to your success and happiness than those that you believe you "should" have or that are dictated by others. You need to ask yourself what you really want. In fact, you need to ask yourself what you really, really want.

2-You don’t have to do what you feel.

"How To Beat the Wardrobe Blahs" by Bridgette Raes was an inspiration for stepping outside of your everyday dressing routine and shaking things up. She told us to stop being so critical of ourselves and to dress in a style you love no matter how you feel.

We all do things everyday that we don’t feel like doing. Did you really want to get up when the alarm went off, or read Good Night Moon 25 times in a row? No, but you need your job or you value your family or something enough to get you to do those things.  Keep your goals and values in the forefront, write them down, and use them to get through those moments you feel like not behaving in ways that move you towards achieving them.

Dress like you’re gorgeous even when you’re not feeling it!

3-Create rituals.

Karim Flugel's suggestion to begin each day with a glass or two of water in "Eating and Drinking for Energy" was fabulous.  It makes getting a significant part of the hydration that we need daily a no brainer.

When you create rituals that move you towards your goals, less effort is required to get there. Define precise behaviors, be clear on your motivation and whenever possible, perform them at the same time. At first it’s an effort, but it soon becomes a habit, and it’s as easy as brushing your teeth, or…..drinking a glass of water.

4-Take one step at a time.

I loved the picture of Patty under the desk in her clutter nightmare. Who could blame her from running away from such an overwhelming project?  Mary Carlomagno came to the rescue with her tips to stop the clutter madness, including taking time away from channel surfing to make time for a half an hour to an hour a night to clear that space ("Give it Up!").

We deserve to aim high and dream big and we stop ourselves dead in our tracks if we believe we need to take one big giant step to get there. Keep your big goal in sight as your motivation while you commit to taking those baby steps to get you there. You’ll see the top of that desk before you know it!

And all of our esteemed bloggers pointed to the bottom line of all bottom lines. You are what you believe, so believe that you are worth every ounce of effort and that you deserve a great life! I don’t think that it is true that half a loaf is better then none, go for the whole loaf.

You are the boss of you. You get to decide what you want and what you do to get there. Every week this month this blog has given us the message loud and clear that if we turn out attention to it, we can become more aware of who we are and want we want, and that we have the power. Go for it!

Ettie Shapiro, LCSW, ACC, BCC is an ICF accredited coach, author and speaker with over twenty-five years of experience as a psychotherapist and an executive. She is the Principal of Coaching Results, a full-service coaching firm that provides executive, business, career and life coaching, management team development, meeting facilitation, seminars, workshops, and motivational keynotes.  Ettie is also the author of “The One Thing That Changes Everything”, a book on how to build enduring self-esteem. She lives in Riverdale with her 11 (going on 25) year old daughter Camille.