The Ever Changing world

Good morning and welcome to my blog this week we are being blessed with a blog from one of my new team members Jenny. Jenny is an amazing coach in the making and is coming near to the end of her year long training. She has been a business expert for many years and decided to refine her wonderful skills for assisting people to transform into formal coaching and mentoring. I hope you enjoy her blog and I look forward to introducing the whole team to you over the coming months, there is six of us now...

Physicists will tell you the the universe is forever changing, it isn't something we can stop, change or control. We live in an ever changing environment, yet, change is something that can often be seen as a threat to many people.

Why am I harping on about change? My life is in a constant state of change, which generally I embrace. I have lived in four countries, spent a great deal of my working live travelling around the world, and changed careers. I believe without change, we do not grow, will not be presented with new and exciting opportunities, and have the chance challenge ourselves and jump out of the comfort zone.

However, every now and then, change can be stressful.  We can let it weigh us down - like the weight of the world is on our shoulders, yet for no real reason.  I am feeling a little of this now.  

The changes I am facing right now are:

• changing employment - retrenched from full time PAYG,
• changing careers - business development to business coaching,
• moving cities - Sydney to Melbourne,
• selling one home in Sydney
• buying a home in Melbourne

How do we cope in a period in our lives when we are confronted with what seem like an insurmountable amount of change? How do we cope when it is in a work situation, when it is personal change, or when it feels like change all around? How do you manage the change, keep the stress levels down, and not feel like you are not managing (or feeling out of control)?

I have found that the following helps me with managing change:

1. Identify the change

• I know it sound silly to write this down, but when you actually list what the changes are, it seems to simplify the situation

2. Embrace Change

• Whether you wish to embrace change, or simple just accept that change is going to happen, you can harness all your energy into managing this, make sure you have positive energy around you. It is pretty surprising how much negative energy we can put into fighting change, or allowing it to stress us out. The retrenchment was a surprise for me, however after the initial shock, I realised it was a blessing in disguise. I could now finally pursue my dream of my own business without the dilemma of giving up a well paid job (I was going to say secure, but that wasn't that case!!)
• Accept that some level of change is inevitable, and when it presents itself ( as it is doing with me now), try and divert your energy into ensuring that the change is presenting a new adventure for you, where you will grow, learn and see new opportunities.

3. Work out what you can manage, what is creating stress and what to delegate.

• Once I jotted down the changes I was facing, I thought that all of this is manageable, however, when detailing my "to do" list, I realised it was the little tasks that were creating my stress. For example, the actual packing my house up seemed to be causing me all sorts of angst, so I investigated the cost to have someone come and pack it for me - it was money well spent.
• The price my house will fetch is also causing some level of stress, however I listed down what I can do to help such as fixing up my garden, ensuring the house is looking neat and inviting.  Then I put my trust in my Agent (the professional) that he will do his job.

4. Fight the fights that are worth fighting

• This is something a very wise boss once told me. In a work situation in the corporate world, I have seen people expend a huge amount of energy and emotion in trying to take on every issue/change or challenge that they are confronted with. I have finally learnt to let some issues/decisions that I disagree with go, and focus my attention on the issues that mean the most to me (and I have some chance of influencing the outcome).
• In a personal situation, I change the meaning slightly to "identify what you can manage, and let go of the unmanageable issues". I looked at what I can manage in the move and what I can not. I started to stress that initially I was not going to have somewhere to live (that was my own) as finding, buying and moving into a house in 6 weeks was a long shot. I worked out where I could live for a few months and accepted that this was the situation (got to love your friends!).  One less issue to worry about.

5. Create short term goals and reward yourself

• Once I identified the manageable issues, I set some tasks and goals (again, writing this stuff down seems to help clear my head)
• Set some easy short term goals - and when you reach them, congratulate yourself. It will help you see progress, and a bit of "self congratulations" can really help in motivating you for the harder tasks. I fixed up my garden (with the help of my family - see point 6) and now my garden looks neat and homely - one less task to worry about.

6. Espouse the change (share it) and draw on your support group

• Once I started to share the changes I was facing (including my fears and issues) with my friends and family, I realised I have an amazing support group. They were all there as a shoulder for support, a sanity check and to help out with some of those tasks that just seemed overwhelming. Dont ever underestimate the value of friends in times of need - they are there for the good times and the not-so-good times!

Change is inevitable. Some we create for ourselves, some change is thrust upon us by others and some change just happens (the change in seasons). Fighting it all the time is energy consuming (and negative energy at that), some change will happen regardless of what we desire, other changes we can manage, delay or divert, however, there will always be change in our lives.  How boring would life be without some little change!!

Strangely after writing this, the changes I am facing seem a little smaller, more manageable and definitely more exciting. Thank you!!

Embrace the change that you are presented with, and have the courage to instigate change that your desire. Just remember.......

"life is a journey, not a destination". Randolf Waldo Emerson

Cheers Marcus and Jenny

The Onsen and the importance of living your passion…

Two years ago I went skiing in Japan, Niseko to be exact, and experienced an Onsen for the first time. Now, those of you not familiar with the concept, an Onsen is a term for hot springs in Japanese though the term is often used to describe bathing facilities and inns around the hot springs.  


Apart from the amazing skiing in Japan and the awesome food and the wonderfully friendly people the Onsen is a real treat, especially after a hard days skiing the powder, as these monkey's will attest to.

Unfortunately I was not skiing in Japan over the weekend but I did spend it in Sorrento for some well-deserved R & R. 

So Friday night we headed off to Sorrento primarily to rest and rejuvenate but also so that Stephanie could introduce me to the soothing treat she had found a few weeks earlier. Believe it or not right here in Victoria on the peninsula are some of our very own hot springs. These hot springs are amazing with pools ranging from 37 degrees up 43 degrees and the water is amazingly good for the health.

Ok so maybe you don’t want to hear about my wonderful weekend bathing in the hot springs, I feel fantastic by the way and my skin, smooooooth. What was impressive is what the owners have built there. As an excerpt from their web site describes how it all happened…

‘Peninsula Hot Springs was founded by brothers Charles & Richard Davidson and Norm Cleland’.

‘The inspiration for the project began when Charles visited several hot springs while living in Japan in 1992. This sparked off several years of touring and studying hot springs around the world’.

‘In 1996 Charles heard a rumor that hot geothermal water had been discovered on the Mornington Peninsula in 1979, and a search of Department of Minerals and Energy records substantiated it’.

‘In 1997 the two brothers formed a partnership and they bought the 42 acre site on which the hot springs now stand. It took several more years of hard work to design the facility, secure the water license, obtain a planning permit, and drill a bore some 637 meter deep to a plentiful aquifer of 54 degree C natural hot minerals waters. The Davidson brothers then found an investor, in the form of Norm Cleland and his family, and together proceeded to build the Stage one Spa Dreaming Centre facility, which opened in June 2005. In December 2009 the second stage Bath House centre penned vastly increasing the number of bathing experiences and providing a area for children and families. Future plans include an increase in bathing experiences, accommodation, a restaurant and more wellness focused facilities’.

For me, both as a business mentor and personal development coach, it is amazing to see what they have built. The passion that has gone into the project is obvious and truly inspirational. No expense has been spared and the experience for the patrons is top notch. It is fascinating to see that it has taken them since 1997 to build what we see today. In a world of fast food and instant gratification it is important to remember that sometimes dreams take time, especially big dreams. To see the persistence, dedication and commitment that must have gone into the making of the bathes is worth writing about and also worth the drive to experience.

Noting that it took several years just to secure licenses to design and build the premises and drill the bore. I know for me I sometimes expect that things will be perfect right now and that success should happen yesterday. But in truth it takes persistence, determination and a real commitment to see the project through. This is where passion comes in, for without it, chances are you will quit before it has even got off the ground.

Passion is the driving force behind many of the world’s great projects, companies and individuals. Many things have gone by the wayside just because the passion was not there. The world would be a colder place without the passion that has driven these amazing things. Therefore it is important that we follow are passion. When we do we are twice as likely to have the success that we have dreamt of, experience twice the fun and realize twice the joy. At the end of the day that’s what life is about…Joy!

So what are you passionate about? What is it going to take for you to go and make it happen? When do you get the courage to seek help, to find mentors in those that have been there and are now living their passion fully?

If you can’t connect with your passion or the fear is too deep, just for a moment entertain the possibility that your passion could be made known to you. What if it was possible to know your passion? What if it was possible to live that passion fully?

Passion is the hot spring of life, it gives meaning, it gives energy and it heals the lost soul. So go out into your world and be passionate about what ever you do, even if for the moment it is not your true passion. Living passionately will bring you more joy, success and the possibility that you too can live an abundant and full life.

Have a great week and may the passion be with you…Oh and don’t forget to visit the hot springs next time you are on the peninsula it is well worth it. Check out the web site: 

http://www.peninsulahotsprings.com

Regards Marcus

Who needs a coach...bah humbug!

It's funny but it is something that I hear quite a lot, who needs a coach... ah poppy cock or something like it and you know what some of the time I think the same. I know a coach wondering who needs a coach, and then it hit me, I need a coach. Well let's be a little more accurate as I have had a coach and she did a wonderful job for me at that time and in that space, but now? I have been searching for a mentor, an advanced coach in my book, for quite sometime. I have looked out into the world of the rich and famous, in particular in the area of my passion speaking and educating, and for a long time no luck.

There is an old saying that when the student is ready the teacher will appear, and did he appear! I soon reconnected with the power of finding the right mentor/coach to help you to propel your business forward. 

Part of the readiness is mindset and being completely open to making it happen. The other part is being open to possibilities that you can have any of your dreams come true. A lot of business leaders that I coach aim way to low and inevitably hit. The time has come to stop aiming low and to reach for the stars. Sometimes however we need help to not only imagine that reaching the star's is possible but help actually making it a reality. This is where the mentor or coach comes into its own. As a coach I knew that having a coach was important but I did not see the overwhelming benefits until last week. Sometimes to realise the need you must experience the benefits and this is exactly what I have done. You know the old saying a plumber has the worst plumbing etc...it's a little the same.

My mentor appeared almost out of no where, an old friend I had not seen for many months to be precise. The minute he told me about what he had been up to and the extraordinary success he had achieved by finding his mentor I knew I had to ask him. Thankfully he agreed to mentor me and in the brief conversation that we had I went out into the world with a new and excited vigour.

The power of having someone walking with you, in your shoes so to speak, and the comfort of having support is worth a fortune. We have only had our first catchup but in that time my mind has expanded into the possibilities and I can now see how I can make all my dreams a reality. I feel excited, motivated and determined to make my business as successful as I alway knew it could be.

So are you receiving the success that you know you deserve? Are you making as much money as you dream you could? How would life be different if you could make $5,000, $10,000 or $20,000 a month more than you do know? It may just be possible...so do you have a coach or mentor? 

If not, now is the time to find one. And if you are worried about the cost it's time to transcend whatever poverty consciousness you have and to trust that you can make it happen, with a little guidance.

So get a mentor/coach, set a goal and make it happen.

Have a great week and remember 'don't be afraid, anything is possible!'

Regards Marcus

P.S. Next week I want to share my experiences with Intrinsic versus Extrinsic Communication. It is important so tune in next Monday.