Above the line thinking

Have you ever met someone who is often the victim in life? "Why has this happened to me mentality". This person often believes that emotions just come to them without having any control themselves over how they can feel. They may let outside influences affect their life so if it is raining outside for instance, they make it mean that they are going to have a bad day. In return they may get attention from others & have the added bonus of not having to take responsibility in their life. This may work for a while, until they dig a deeper hole and the feeling of disempowerment overcomes them.
We have a choice, we can be the victim or the warrior.
By choosing to take responsibility for your life & how you will respond to whatever challenge life brings you, it allows you to step up, learn & grow. An empowering way to operate in this world designed with challenges built in.

3 Universal Fears

The 3 universal fears that apply to us all are
1. Fear of being found out or not being enough.
2. Fear of not belonging.
3. Fear of not being loved.
These fears play out in how we make decisions & can affect our behaviour.
Many people may think that they are the only ones with these fears & may even think they are strange for having these thoughts. These fears are normal & we all have them on some level.
The important thing here is if these fears are holding you back from achieving your goals. With this knowledge it gives us awareness on how our unconscious mind works. That little mini me voice that can have the ability of holding us back if we let it. Knowing these fears for what they are, we can choose to feel the fear & take action anyway when it serves us to do so.

Relationship building

To be successful in obtaining a fulfilled & happy life, strong relationships with others is paramount. The 3 key abilities that will help you develop your relationships to an even more deeper level are
1. Learn how to enter other peoples worlds.
2. Speak their language that will make sense to them. One that lights them up, motivates & inspires them into appropriate action.
3. Be able to predict someone's strengths, weaknesses & actions by knowing what to specifically look for in their world.
When you develop these skills & put them into your everyday communication, you will not only enrich your relationships, you will also open yourself up to a world of learning & positively impact the results that you achieve in your life.

Judge and you will be judged

The more you judge the more you will be judged.
Everyone has demons in their closet that they are challenged by. As a coach I hear things like, I'm too fat, I'm too skinny, I'm too short, I'm too tall, I have bad skin, I'm going bald, I'm going grey, I'm too old, I'm too young, I'm not smart enough, I'm too shy, I'm too loud, No-one likes me, I can't spell, I'm not a good speaker, It's because I'm female, It's because I'm gay, It's because I'm Asian..............the list goes on.
STOP RIGHT NOW!
Love yourself for who you are now. Not when you've lost 30 kilos, not when you get a partner, Right Now. Be your biggest mentor not your worst critic. Then seek to understand & accept others for who they are. Find the goodness in them & yes I know sometimes that can be challenging. You only see the outside shell of others. We have no idea what battles they are facing even if they are behaving badly and even if their values are different to yours. The choice is yours. Something to ponder.

Choose the front seat

It's your choice to sit back, take a back seat, play the game of life conservatively safe and take yourself too seriously. Or, you can choose otherwise.

The power of your Ego

The Ego is there to protect us however, it does not always serve us in an Empowering way. The 6 needs of the ego are, the need to know, to judge, to justify, to be right, to look good & to get even. Notice when your ego is popping up & notice if by listening to that mini voice, if it is in fact leading you to your goals if you choose to listen to it. Or you can choose otherwise.

Drive your own bus

You are the one that drives your own Life bus. There will be speed bumps along the way & you may even feel that you are lost at times but you have all the resources inside you to overcome any challenge & make your lifes journey truly amazing.

Respect yourself

To grow, sometimes we need to do things that are uncomfortable or challenging to achieve our goals. To create a life that we desire, we also need to choose what we need to do more of & what we need to discard. The expert in your life is You. Be the best version of yourself & make any changes that you know will benefit your life and those around you.

Direct your energy

Be mindful where you direct your thoughts & put energy towards, as you often get what you focus on. If you immerse yourself in your goals & dreams, you leave little room for any disempowering thoughts.

What are you focusing on?

Life was created with challenges built in. If everything was smooth sailing, life would be boring & we wouldn't stretch ourselves to grow. Focus on your mission, your why, your purpose and take each obstacle that gets in your way as an opportunity to become the best version of yourself.

Be present

Give the gift of your complete presence. What does it mean to be fully present? Shut out all distractions & focus fully on the person in front of you. Practice Empathic Listening, which means seek to understand the persons world without judgment, right or wrong or advising. Make it all about them. You will be surprised at what you learn & how even more richer your relationships become.

Leave a little sparkle

You know that person that you meet that lifts people up. The person that seeks & brings out the best in you. The one that puts aside their Ego to be truly present to others. The person that lights up the room when they walk in it, spreading, inspiration, encouragement & seeks to understand others rather than judge. The person that makes a positive difference in so many peoples lives, that they are even unaware of the phenomenal ripple affect that they have. You know that person. Be that.

You are unique

We often compare the best of the outside of others, to the worst of the inside of ourselves. What does that mean? It means if we continue to do that, we will never measure up. Never put others on a pedestal or below you. We are all one level & unique. Often with my public speaking training people say, I'm not a great speaker. I ask, who are you comparing yourself to. Everyone, I mean, everyone has the ability to be a great speaker. We all have a message that we are passionate about that we can deliver and no-one in this world can deliver it exactly just like you. Celebrate your uniqueness & focus on becoming an even more better version of yourself. If you can't nurture yourself then where else are you going to live. Everyone else is taken.

 

Be careful what you focus on

Often in life, what you focus on is what you get.

Terminal Seriousness

When's the last time you jumped in a puddle, stomped on crunchy leaves or had a turn on a swing. Do you dance around at home with your favorite music? Do you run around playing chasey with your partner? Or have you chosen the Adult Life of terminal Seriousness. The beauty of a childs world. They question with insatiable curiosity, they are open to possibilities & they live in a world of creativity & playfulness. We all have this inside us & by utilizing this, we are an open learning machine & our world becomes an adventure. Choose to tap into your childlike wonder & see how different you experience your world.

Procrastination will hold you back

Is procrastination holding you back? It could be that you have a fear of success or fear of failure. Are you not stepping up and taking responsibility? Do you want certainty in your life and practicing the strategy of trying to control everything in your life. You can squeeze life or life will squeeze you. Make the decision today to Take Action & do that thing that you know you have been putting off & build that muscle of strength. You deserve to achieve your goals.

Embrace vulnerability

Some people equate vulnerability with weakness. In fact, vulnerability is the highest form of courage there is. When you embrace vulnerability, you open up your heart space & this allows for true connection with self & others.

Take that first step

Every goal starts with the first step. Some coaches will say take massive change in your life right now but I don't believe that your first step needs to always be a major leap. Decide to achieve that goal that you know will make a positive difference in your life. Take a step forward & even if on the journey you take a step back, know that momentum can be achieved by getting back on that path. It's all about the journey & the lessons you learn along the way. Be kind to yourself.

Who are you taking advice from?

Be mindful of who you take advice from. Often there are people around us that give us well meaningful advice on things like parenting, relationships, career, health, finance & our vision or dreams that we may have. Respectfully, in your mind you should ask these 2 questions. Who are they and what have they done. If they are giving advice on finance yet are not financially enriched in their own lives then question if their advice is of benefit or will it hold you back. You can choose to thank them for their input and get other advice from those that have achieved the results that you desire.

Keep an open mind & open heart.

We all have different values, beliefs & rules that we live by. Often, we can be rigid with how we see the world through these filters, as we believe these to be our truth. This is only our perception of the world. Before you judge others, seek to understand & even challenge your truth. You may just learn something that will help you grow, expand your mind & enrich your life and those around you.

How do you see the world?

How you choose to see the world is up to you. An obstacle can be a problem that makes you a victim of circumstance or instead can be a challenge for you to stretch & grow. I'm not just talking positive thinking here, if you have weeds in the garden, there are weeds in the garden people and you need to get rid of them. Take responsibility for everything in your life, the good, the bad and the ugly. It is so much more empowering than sitting back, feeling sorry for yourself & complaining about it.

Life is about creating yourself

Who is it you want to be? What is the best version of yourself that you can create? What is your purpose, your why? If you have a big enough why, the how will take care of itself. I love the saying, if it's meant to be, it's up to me. What are you waiting for. No excuses, go do it.

Be a giver of significance

One of the Human Core Needs is Significance. We all need to feel Significant in our lives. My question to you is, are you a Getter of Significance or a Giver of Significance? A getter may put others down so that they feel superior & a giver... will lift people up. I love the analogy of your own personal bucket. We have the choice to fill up other peoples bucket with significance, encouragement, positivity & love. It's also important to fill up your own bucket by being kind to yourself with your own self talk. Have you been a Giver of significance & filled up someones bucket & your own personal bucket today?

Mistakes are part of the journey

To learn & Grow we need to embrace uncertainty and give our self permission to make mistakes. If you are not making mistakes in life, chances are you are playing it safe and not stretching yourself to your full potential. There is no fun in playing small. If you think about it, most goals that really excite you that you have achieved, have been through taking a risk, stepping out of your comfort zone & feeling the fear and doing it anyway. Enjoy the journey & take each mistake on your learning curve as a step closer to mastering your goal - Janelle Johnston

Create empowering ripples

We all create ripples in our lifetime. It's like the saying goes, one bad spice spoils the broth. Ok, I know its supposed to be cooks but you get the message. You are the spice in peoples lives. You can either choose to be that bitter spice that effects the other ingredients in a negative way or you can be the spice that brings harmony to the mix & creates an even more spectacular blend. Your choices & actions don't just effect one of the ingredients, it has a ripple effect throughout the entire mix. What ripples are you choosing to create? Empower one, empower many. - Janelle Johnston

Importance of relationships

Relationships are a partnership & if you take them for granted, then expect them to be mediocre. When you invest in nurturing them & your open to working together in bringing out the best in each other, they can be a rewarding & enriching experience. How are you investing in your relationships. Are you truly present when you are with others. Do you hold back judgment & seek understanding into their world? Have you shown appreciation lately? Choose to take your relationships to an even more deeper level today.

The Need to be Right

One of the needs of the Ego that is within all of us is the need to be Right. There are times that require us to stand up for what we believe but have you ever continued to argue over a trivial matter because you wanted to prove that you ar...e right & the other person is wrong? Sometimes you need to let stuff go. It doesn't always matter if you are right. If you live your life always proving that you are right then you are heading for a world of pain. Build the muscle of letting go of righteousness & be the example for others. People will respect you for it. - Janelle Johnston