Month: July 2016

Beyond Function in Dysfunction

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  There’s an old cartoon that I place in my mental file labeled humor and reality. It shows the entrance to a meeting hall with a sign saying “Meeting for Functional Families.”  The room is filled with empty chairs with the exception of one guy sitting in the first row. That’s reality!  No matter how things appear on the outside, we are all operating at varying degrees of dysfunction.  But it is OUR dysfunction, and we have come to know  the nature of the beast. In most cases we would never trade our family or personal  “issues”  for that of another. However, we can experience growth by learning to not only Function in Our Dysfunction, but move to the higher level of living successfully and fulfilling our dreams and aspirations. Although Life Coaching  isn’t about “the coach”, there are those opportunities to to help an individual to realize that they aren’t “terminally unique.”  There are some universal struggles and situations that are more common than we think. Working in a partnership, the life coach can share their …

Money, Misers, and Mega-spenders

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  It’s a well known fact that most marital discord stems from financial strain.  It’s one of those things that many people don’t fully discuss as a couple in the marriage preparation process. Whether couples find it uncomfortable, or they simply think it will all work out one way or another, it’s not always addressed directly. At one end of the spectrum is the female “spend-o-holic” who has reserved parking at the mall, several maxed-out Visa gold cards, and  a five-star rating as an Amazon customer. If there’s a pair of  incredible shoes that comes in multiple colors, it’s a no brainer!  More is better, right?  Then we have the male counterpart, the “Big Ticket” spender. He’s the purveyor of fine cars, fast boats, and big boy toys. When these two get together, it can be a dangerous proposition, requiring serious earning power. Then at the other end of the spectrum, we have the “spendthrift” male or female. Here are your professional coupon clippers, and keepers of the 79 degree thermostat. If it’s not 50% …

Are You A Martha Or A Mary? (not just a chick thing)

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  Dynamic tension. That’s what most of us struggle with in terms of accomplishment versus contemplation. We work hard, strive for our personal best, and expect praise and accolades in the process. It’s human nature.  I can’t help of thinking about the story of Mary and her sister Martha in Luke 10:38-42.  Martha was feverishly serving her guests, with Jesus being one of them.  Feeling a sense of resentment, she approached Him asking that Mary be reprimanded for not doing her part in helping her with her tasks. He simply responded to her in this way, and I love it, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about so many things.” Do we live in such a way that we are meeting ourselves coming and going?  We become wobbly, losing a sense of balance between work and worship. Is it that we are so driven to make a living that we really aren’t living? Are we trapped in the never ending cycle of trying to  “keep up with the Joneses“? Do we even know who …

Life and Unavoidable Pain

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  Life is a constant dichotomy between ups and downs, joy and pain, triumphs and failures. It’s been said that we can’t truly appreciate the peaks unless we have the “valley experiences”. Really?  This isn’t the most comforting sentiment when we are in the grips of grief or loss! When bad things happen, some people turn away from God, even blaming God. Although we may never see a justifiable reason, there IS a purpose in the grand plan. The security we have in the Father is indomitable. The failure exists in OUR part of losing faith and not trusting in God’s plan. As Life Coaching Partners, we are well versed with loss and the grieving process. Collectively, we have suffered through the death of parents, a spouse,  failed business ventures, and financial set backs. We have also had the misfortune of losing all earthly possessions in the wake and destruction of Hurricane Katrina. We are poised and ready to share our experience, strength, and hope. In addition we bring to the table our life coach …

Reaching Goals- The Jet Plane Analogy

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    When we are setting goals, it’s easy to fall into the short-sighted frame of reference. While it’s always prudent to live in the present, we also have to have some sense of anticipated outcomes. I love the analogy of taking off on a rainy day flight to a destination. We find ourselves sitting on the runway, ready for take off, with cloudy skies around us and rain trickling down the  windows. We’re aware that there’s a sunny destination a few hours away, but it’s hard to conjure up that image presently.  We take off with the confidence we place in the pilot, and we soon break through the storm clouds to a cruising level where the dark clouds are below us. The sun is shining brightly now, and we settle into our flight. We begin to relax, and contemplate the first day’s itinerary. In the same way, when we plot a course from where we are to where we want to be, we have to take into account that there will be delays …

Ready For Insight and Personal Growth?

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As part of the human existence, we live our lives driven by various forces and basic needs. Some of us are perfectionists driven by the need to win, excel, and achieve desired outcomes. There is that other faction of people who fly by the seat of their pants, live and let live, and basically throw caution to the wind. We are encompassed in the powerful choleric, the deep and insightful melancholy,  the fair-minded and even-keeled phlegmatic, the fun-loving and outgoing sanguine, and the service-minded supine. The common thread is that each of us is a unique blend masterfully designed by the Creator of the Universe. Another thing we share in the human existence is that we all reach seasons of our lives when we are at an impasse, feeling “stuck”, or simply want to move in a new direction. We are offering an opportunity to jump start your life journey and gain valuable insights about yourself with a complimentary Temperament Analysis with a commitment to three Life Coaching sessions. If you are seeking growth in …