Your Pastoral Coach

If

If
By RUDYARD KIPLING

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream -- and not make dreams your master;
If you can think -- and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings -- nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run --
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And -- which is more -- you'll be a Man, my son!

Technorati Tags: Accomplish goals and realize dreams

New Year Resolutions that Stick in 2007

Well, I just finished writing down my resolutions for 2007 and I'm about to start typing the resolutions my kids made today. We help each other with our intentions throughout the year. I though it would be appropriate to repeat my post from this time last year:

I love making New Year resolutions! Then again, I would be a strange life coach if I didn't have fun imagining a better life and making resolutions to realize those dreams. Do you enjoy making goals to improve your life? Only 33% of all Americans set goals for their lives. Few of the New Year resolutions are ever achieved. Here are a few simple tips to ensure your New Year resolutions stick...

1. Write your resolutions down. Only 3% of the people that make goals ever write them down.

2. Keep the number of goals low. Try to make between four to seven goals. Out of these, only have one or two truly transformational goals.

3. Share your goals with loved ones that can encourage and challenge you.

4. Keep your resolutions balanced: spiritual, vocational, emotional (love/friendship), and physical (incl. home & money). Some people make all the goals in one area, mostly physical, but life is more than that and they can't concentrate so much energy in one area.

5. Think about how you may monitor your progress. How would you know that you are achieving what you want to achieve? This is one of the most important things to help with self-discipline, but only 1% of the people who make goals, monitor their progress. You usually improve what you measure.

6. Write your resolutions in confident, present-tense, and positive ways. Avoid things like "stop eating chocolate" or it will backfire and you will obsess about chocolate.

7. Finally, know the difference between transformational goals or event goals. Event goals are things like clean and organize the garage, go on retreat, sign up to volunteer at the hospital. Transformational goals are things like changing career or jobs, improving your health, losing weight, or increasing your happiness. First, these take a lot of energy so you want to have one or two of these. Second, they require more thought to understand what the drivers are and how do they fit with the rest of your life.

Happy and blessed 2007!

Technorati Tags: Accomplish goals and realize dreams

A Transformation in My Life

Have you noticed that the frequency of my posts have diminished from a high of daily, to several a week, to now a few a month? Most of my time and energy has been directed elsewhere. Over the last several months I have been thinking about the possibility of realizing one of my dreams, to start my own business. After 20 years of corporate and government experience, I resigned and began my business exactly three months ago. I started a management consulting firm that helps organizations, particularly their Information Technology group and Service Providers, work with a clear vision and realize that vision. More specifically I facilitate strategy development sessions to help them have a strategy that is clear and actionable. I help them improve their governance so that they can effectively make the decisions that are needed to actually realize their vision. I also help them grow their leadership capability through coaching, team building, conflict management, and diversity training so that they can sustain that momentum. These are the topics I love the most and am the most passionate about.

This also helps me more closely align my life with my personal mission statement. My purpose is to help unleash people's divine potential to live happier, healthier, and more meaningful lives. There is a lot of sadness and anguish in the workplace. There is a lot of people, staff and supervisors, that are lost. There are companies with great ideas, but they can't realize them or their business value. If my work can help them be moved by a compelling vision, if they are better able to relate what they do with a cause greater than themselves, if organizations can actually decide on the things that matter most, and if I can help leaders lead and create a better future, then I'll be living my purpose. This sense of service and purpose really fulfills me and fills me with "passionate peace." Because consulting allows you to work anywhere and at any time (or all the time...), I'm planning to book half day, and then one day a week to do nothing but pastoral coaching and theological work at church, which today I fit in when possible.

Tomorrow's readings talk about Christ the King. Through Him we are able to enjoy the promise of everlasting life in the Kingdom of God, and that kingdom begins here on earth, right now. We are the kingdom and the kingdom is only realized when we live the will of God in our lives daily. When, in the presence of God, we use our gifts and talents to make the world a better place. This is my way of living my journey, at least for now. Follow through and make real your dreams!

So, my dear friends of this blogging community, this is where I have been. I miss all of you dearly and think of you during my prayer time and during the day, as you have been a supportive part of my life. Please feel free to visit the website of my new business or my new business blog.

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you have imagined." Thoreau

Technorati Tags: Hope, Purpose

Masters in Pastoral Theology... All done!

Yesterday was my graduation at St. Mary-of-the-Woods College. It is the culmination of a 3 year journey in which moved by my faith, I was seeking greater understanding of God (rephrasing Anselm of Canterbury's definition of Theology). I felt the call from Jesus, the Good Shepherd, to join him in caring for souls, to join him in feeding the sheep, and be also a shepherd with Him (in Latin, a pastor). Although I was hearing Jesus calling me by name, I hesitated. It was so different from my professional career. My wife Angie helped me see how aligned this path was with my talents and passions, and helped me gain the confidence to take the first step.

In the past years I have learned about Theology, Scripture, Ethics, Cannon Law, Ministry, Christology, Liturgy, Church history, and spirituality. I have learned to appreciate the beauty and elegance of our faith, the mystery and and complexity of some of our beliefs, and I have been able to see God with a renewed sense of awe. The more I studied, the more I realized how little I could comprehend about God and His works. The studies helped me immensely, yet, only love, and service, and community and grace, have truly helped me to better know and experience our wonderful God.

If anyone reading this is wondering about pursuing a similar program, I highly recommend the graduate program at St. Mary-of-the-Woods College. The convenience of distant learning and the quality and competency of the faculty are great, but the best traits is how much Virginia the program Director and her faculty care about the students and their growth. They really invest themselves completely and at the end you finish with not only increased knowledge, but also with deep friendships. The sense of community among the students is one of the best gifts of this program. Mixed with the joy of not having to write more papers was the sadness of not been an active member of this wonderful community of shepherds. Well, there's e-mail and the annual Summer get-togethers...

And the journey continues. I love my career in Information Technology, helping companies increase their business value through technology and helping grow IT leaders. Yet, I love to compliment that with a vocation as a Pastoral Coach, helping people grow in their careers, in their personal development, and in their relationships by integrating Christian spirituality with the rest of their lives. With God's grace, I will continue to answer the call to act with justice, love tenderly, to serve one another, and to humbly walk with God (David Hass and Micah 6:8)

Technorati Tags: Accomplish Goals, Catholic

Sleeping for Health

How many of us associate getting a good night's sleep with good health? We focus on eating right, avoiding junk food and sweets, doing aerobic exercise, lifting weights, yoga, pilates, etc. But do we sleep enough? I for one do not. I sleep about six hours a day. The minimum recommendation is eight hours a day. My issue is that I'm a night owl. I am the most focused and productive between 9 PM and 1 AM. This is when I can produce the most. However, work and family responsibilities demand that I get up early. My wife and I talked this week about making the commitment to go to bed on time. 71% of all adults do not get enough sleep, with detrimental results.

Are You Taking Your New Year Resolutions Seriously?

Are you taking your New Year resolutions seriously? Are you making commitments that will drive you to really do accomplish your goals? One of my goals this year is to do two half-marathons. I have not gone running or race-walking for 3 months...

So, my wife and I just registered (meaning put down non-refundable cash...) for the Rite-Aid Cleveland race on May 21st and the Rock-n-Roll race in Virginia Beach on September 3rd. We also just booked hotels. So.... I'm just getting an urge to go exercising... Why? I have added a level of commitment ($$). How are you doing with yours?

Technorati Tags: Accomplish Goals

Setting Goals as a Family

I had the most fun in the last two days setting goals for the New Year as a family. On New Year's eve my daughter Elena asked if I could print the template I made for all of us last year to set powerful intentions for the year. I was very happy that she found it helpful and that she asked, I did not have to push it. So, I adjusted the templates for everyone and printed them.

New Year Resolutions that Stick

I love making New Year resolutions! Then again, I would be a strange life coach if I didn't have fun imagining a better life and making resolutions to realize those dreams. Do you enjoy making goals to improve your life? Only 33% of all Americans set goals for their lives. Few of the New Year resolutions are ever achieved. Here are a few simple tips to ensure your New Year resolutions stick...

Liturgical New Year's Resolution

Julie D. from Happy Catholic has tagged me...

You know, anybody can make regular old New Year's Resolutions. These are new liturgical year's resolutions.

Live more in the presence of God (I'm on retreat this week!)

Learn more about who the Real Jesus was (is)

Graduate

Read books for pleasure..., no papers!

Write a book

I'm tagging Penni, Lisa, and Elena...

Technorati Tags: Accomplish Goals

Accomplishing your Goals and Dreams: Manage Priorities (Part 7)

In these series we have been exploring how we may accomplish goals and realize dreams like losing 10 pounds, paying off debt, exercising, getting a new job or a promotion, writing a book, growing spiritually, and living a balanced life. In this post we are going to cover how to manage our priorities.