The Biggest Loser

How do you feel when you wake up in the morning? I mean physically - how does your body feel?

Are you setting goals to treat your body more respectfully this year? Are you incorporating exercise? Walking is a great place to start - just a 20 minute stroll up your street and back can make a huge difference in how you feel physically, and it will affect your mental well being too.

Think about the show "The Biggest Loser". Now I know this is a drastic example, but there are a few things we can learn from that show:

1) focus - the contestants decide to make a priority of getting right physically, and everything they do, from how they eat to how they think of themselves, is focused on that goal

2) motivation - almost all of those contestants have a reason to get fit. What's yours? Do you have a family you want to stay healthy for? Do you think your physical shape is getting in the way of relationships because of how it makes you feel about yourself? Let something motivate you, and then focus on that.

3) perseverance - don't give up! And don't let one bad day, or one bad week, keep you from moving forward.


Check out this picture of a guy from The Biggest Loser. Imagine how different he feels, physically. Imagine how much easier it is to get around, get up in the morning, or just go about his daily activities.

Set some physical goals for yourself. Then go for it.

***it may not be realistic to lose the amount of weight they lose on The Biggest Loser during the short time frame in which they lose it, and remember that they are surrounded by a team of people dedicated to their well-being. Whenever embarking on a weight loss program it is important to get the advice of a doctor.

The Magic Number Seven

Let's look at Zig Ziglar's 7 specific areas where goals can be set:

1. Physical - how do you feel? How do you look? How do you want to feel and how do you want to look? The Bible says, “Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit” 1st Cor. 6:19. Are you setting bigger goals this year to take better care of your body?
2. Financial - there aren’t too many things that feel better then financial freedom. I challenge you to set goals to get totally out of debt. A great book to read is by Dave Ramsey: “Total Money Makeover”. Maybe reading his book can be your first financial goal.
3. Spiritual - the Bible states, “If we draw near to God, He will draw near to us. I challenge you to do what works for you to get closer to God and become the spiritual giant he has created you to be. Go Ahead! Start right now and set those goals.
4. Career - I would encourage you to purchase the book, “Strength Finders 2.0” and take the online survey to find out where your strengths are. Your goal should be to wake up everyday doing what you love to do and actually have people pay you to do it.
5. Family - Are you like most of us who get so caught up with work that family ends up far down our list of priorities? Set a goal to take a family vacation and enjoy life. Oh yeah, and don’t forget to laugh a lot.
6. Mental - Set some goals to take time from your busy schedule and rest your mind. When was the last time you did something fun which didn’t require a lot of mental work? Take time to meditate. And by all means meditate on God's word.
7. Social - Have you found yourself becoming a couch potato and not really wanting to socialize with people. Come on! Get up and plan a night out with your friends. You will feel so much better.

Have fun setting your goals. Remember the main way to get ahead in life is to help as many other people as you can to get ahead.

Is there anyone out there who you are helping to accomplish their goals, right now???

Come Back From a Place You've Never Been? Impossible

How can you hit a target you don’t have?

Goals are very important.

It’s just as difficult to reach a destination you don’t have as it is to come back from a place you’ve never been. I agree with Zig Ziglar in his book See You At The Top when he says that one reason people never reach their full potential is that they don’t have definite, precise, and clearly set goals.

Thirty years ago after reading that book, I realized that if I didn’t set goals my life would continue to go absolutely nowhere. I wasn’t reaching my full potential, and probably never would, until I had something to reach for. I truly believe people who don’t set goals reach only a small portion of what life has to offer.

I would like to share with you some of what I learned from Zig Ziglar. He says we should start with a plan and direct it toward a specific goal or target. But how do we do that?

Let's start with the basics: a definition of the word "goal". The dictionary says a goal is an aim or a purpose. It’s a plan. Something you expect to do. Lets establish first that whoever you are, wherever you are and whatever you want to do, you should have goals.

Zig Ziglar says there are seven different kinds of goals.
1. Physical
2. Financial
3. Spiritual
4. Career
5. Family
6. Mental
7. Social- I will elaborate on these later.

He also says there are four characteristics of goals:

1. Set big goals but not so unrealistic that they aren’t attainable. When you set goals you can’t reach you are setting yourself up to fail.
2. Goals must be long-range. Long range goals are easier. Why? Because you go as far as you can see and when you get there you will always be able to see further.
3. Goals must be daily. Frequently, the difference between great and the near great is the realization that if you expect to make it big, you must work toward your objectives everyday. Being sporadic is not the way to get where you want to be. If you want to see change work on your goals everyday.
4. Goals must be specific. Zig says, “It doesn’t matter how much power, brilliance or energy you have, if you don’t harness it and focus on a specific target, and hold it there. You’re never going to accomplish as much as your ability warrants." Remember the art of goal setting is to focus on one specific, detailed goal. And if you want to reach your goal you must first see yourself reaching that goal.

Check in next Wednesday as we explore how to approach goal-setting in each of the seven areas listed above.

Coaching Married Couples to Emotional Connection

As I mentioned in my last post, there is a big difference between counseling and life coaching. In a counseling situation we are typically trying to regain some sort of normalcy. But life coaching is about taking a person, or a couple, from normalcy to excellence.

Many of my clients are happily married couples who want to take their relationship to another level. The first thing I usually discuss with them is the importance of building an emotional connection.

According to www.lifescript.com, an emotional connection is "a bundle of subjective feelings that come together to create a bond between two people." Perhaps the most important part of this phrase is "two people". If you want a strong emotional connection with your spouse, both of you have to put in the time and effort!

Here are 7 ways you can create a stronger emotional connection:

1) Study your partner and gain a better awareness of their needs

2) Trust your partner

3) Be emotionally available

4) Show affection

5) Fight Fair

6) See the world through the other person's eyes

7) Overcome the obstacles

These are just some of the ways you can create strong emotional connections - many times you need a third party to navigate all of these areas successfully. If you are interested in exploring what it would look like to have some relational coaching, let me know!