Bootcamp For Your Mind

Use body language to get more out of life

Use body language to get more out of life

Outkast said, “I like the way you move”, and you know, it’s true.  People do like the way you move – in fact it has a pronounced effect on how the world sees you.   Experts believe almost 90 percent of what you communicate to the world comes from non-verbal cues, which means when you slouch or fidget you’re giving off a negative impression before you even open your mouth. But on the other hand, body language gives you a tremendous opportunity to project yourself as confident and successful.  If you make up your mind to achieve great things, you can start to exhibit that plan-of-action by better posture and improved eye contact.   Today’s article, Body Language Basics gives you the inside scoop on better body language and how to use it daily.   Remember, you are what you want to achieve.  The body language of an achiever lets the world know you’re a positive person, and serious about success.

Check out the full article here!

Visit Amy at www.bootcampforyourmind.com

Shake off depression and give yourself more energy

Shake off depression and give yourself more energy

Dear Amy -

Lately, I just don’t seem to have enough energy.  And to make matters worse, I feel depressed all the time.  Can you help me?

Sincerely,

Down in Detroit

Dear Down -

Often, depression and a lack of energy go hand in hand.  While sometimes these issues are symptomatic of a serious chemical imbalance (and should therefore be treated by a medical professional), or a particularly stressful life event, they may also be the result of lifestyle and nutrition choices we make that weigh us down like an anchor.

Let’s take a look at a quick, easy plan to get your energy levels up and shake off depression.

Step #1: Change your diet.  Reduce your sugar intake (cut way down on sodas, candy, juices, etc.).  These types of food and drink will give you a quick burst, but in the end will only slow you down.  Reduce unhealthy carbohydrates such as baked goods: cookies, pastries, bread, and pasta.  Again, these are the foods that keep you from achieving peak levels of energy.  Eat 4 or 5 small (approx 300 - 350 calorie) meals per day – big meals will slow you down, make you tired.  You should also add 3 or 4 days of exercise into your weekly schedule.  If you can’t get to the gym, brisk 30 minute walks will do the trick!

Step #2: Raise your endorphin levels.   Keep your mood upbeat by changing the information you take in.   Stop watching depressing documentaries, scary movies and overly dramatic Lifetime fare.  Instead, find ways to start laughing!  Watch uplifting or comedic programming to raise endorphin levels.  And don’t just limit it to your viewing preferences – get out there and engage in uplifting and fun activities!

Step #3: Look at the underlying reasons for your depression and lack of energy.  If you’re experiencing depression and low energy, they may be symptoms of a bigger problem.  If so, it might be time to address these issues.  Ask yourself some important questions:  Are you dissatisfied with your career or your relationships?  Are you feeling unfulfilled?  Do you feel that you haven’t achieved the things you once hoped you would?   If you find that the answer is “yes” to any of these questions, it might be the right time to get some help.  That help can come in the form of a life coach, who will help you get to the root of the problem and work with you to craft a plan moving forward.  You’ll feel better knowing that you addressed the reasons for your depression and low energy levels at the source.

Visit Amy Applebaum at Bootcampforyourmind.com

Avoiding the “what-everyone-else-wants-you-to-be” trap

Many times, we find ourselves unhappy or unfulfilled even though “on paper” we’ve accomplished a lot of great things in life.  Why is that?  How can we have all the trappings of success and be so down in the dumps? 

One of the most common reasons is that we spend way too much time doing things that other people want us to achieve, without focusing on what makes us happy.  This is kind of thing that often happens with our parents, but really could be the result of anyone’s influence. 

For example, if your mom and dad were adamant about you going to law school, you probably went and ended up making a nice career for yourself.  But the career path has left you unfulfilled.  You always wanted to teach guitar to inner-city kids, but never acted on it because you didn’t want to upset the folks.

Well, the time has come to start doing things because YOU want to do them.  I work with my coaching clients to help them breakthrough and discover these hidden goals, and take the immediate steps needed to reach them.

You need to listen to your own voice, what your own mind is telling you to do.  This is not always easy.  The influences in your life have left this voice silent for some time.    You need to flex the “what I want” muscle, even if it is stiff from lack of use!

Start making choices based on what YOU want.  Find a coach who will help you overcome external distraction and craft a plan to get you moving. 

There’s no time to waste.  You only have one life to live…you’ve got to make every minute count!

To find out how you can have Amy Applebaum as YOUR coach, visit http://www,bootcampforyourmind.com.

Top 10 Ways a Coach Can Improve Your Life

For all those wondering, “what do I need a life coach for”, I give you the following list of some of the many ways that coaching can change your life.

1.      Lose weight – Tried every diet under the sun, and none of them worked?  It might not be the diet plan’s fault.   A coach helps you make a serious plan for weight loss success, then shows you how to stick to it!

2.       Get organized – If you’ve got papers running amok in your office, and miss meetings with regularity, it’s time to talk to a coach.  A great life coach will show you how to structure your day more effectively, and learn to worker smarter, not harder.

3.       Find true love – A coach can help you pinpoint the ideal mate for you, then show you how to make changes in your own life that will attract him or her like a magnet.

4.       Discover talents you never knew you had – One of the great things about life coaches is that they let you talk.  And once you start sharing, and talking openly about your dreams and your goals, you’ll start to realize that you’re better at more things than you ever imagined!

5.       Get your finances in order – Coaches make you more disciplined.  And that comes in handy for anyone who’s ever made years of minimum payments on their credit cards, or struggled to keep their checkbooks balanced.  If money is your trouble, a coach will help you form a solid plan of attack, and get you saving again in no time.

6.       Land a huge promotion – Life coaches are experts at building the self-confidence needed to go in and ask for that corner office.  They also help individuals achieve peak performance on the job – which always gets the boss’ attention.

7.       Unleash your creativity – If you’ve been meaning to sit down and write that Great American Novel, or learn to play guitar or just join a local improv group, a life coach shows you how to take chances, be confident, and get out there and do it.

8.       Have a better sex life – You and your partner say you’re too busy and too tired for great sex.  Your life coach says that’s no excuse – and shows you how to put some spice back in your relationship.

9.       Be a better parent – Now more than ever, having a coach’s expert advice and extra support when it comes to parenting can make all the difference in your life, and your child’s. 

10.   Enjoy more of life – For all these reasons, and hundreds more, a life coach helps you live an amazing life!  Coaches help you work on the areas of your life that need improvement, and take you from good to great in all the others!

Click here to visit Amy's site, Bootcamp for your Mind!

Today is Male Appreciation Day!

I want to talk about men today. I think men are pretty freaking amazing.  And, in many ways, they get very little support. Often we blame men for what isn’t working in life.  Everything is their fault, they never do enough and they can't get it right.  In fact, I have declared today Male Appreciation Day!   

Why all the fanfare?  I was reminded today, while I was reading an article that said that men everywhere had stopped taking interest in having sex with their partners, that guys have problems too – just like the rest of us.  Think about it…GUYS losing interest in sex?  They must have some serious issues for it to come to this!

But the fact that there's no therapy geared towards men is an even bigger problem.  And if we don’t fix it, then what?  No sex? Who are they supposed to talk to?  Everyone needs to understand that men need support too, they need to feel needed and important and they need a way to deal with whatever issues they are facing.    It's important to our society that we have healthy men – physically and emotionally.

To this point there has not been much of a market for "male therapy."  Generally speaking, psychology is too problem focused for men and does not appeal to them.  But, men, like everyone else have problems and obstacles.  They just have not had a way to deal with those problems.

Coaching is an answer for men   I love working with men and have had tremendous success helping them achieve their goals and prosper in all aspects of their lives.   

What I've learned is that if men are struggling with issues, they don't want to get into all the gooey, messy reasons about WHY their problems exist and what the root causes are.  They're men, and by nature they are SOLUTION-oriented.  Just show a man a problem, give him a set of tools and he will try and fix it.   And that's really what life coaching is all about:  digging in and finding solutions.  Men need life coaching for sex, relationship and other important issues – and they are likely to take to it more quickly than psychology.  It's in their nature.

Click here to visit Amy's site, Bootcamp for your Mind!

Amy's Coaching Success Stories: Weight Loss! More Money! A Great New Relationship!

My Client Mona came to me because she was fat, broke, ugly and miserable.  Her words exactly.  What I uncovered in the first session was that she didn’t like herself, at all.  She actually believed that she was “unlovable.”  So, she was.  She overate, let people cross her boundaries, didn’t ask for the pay she deserved – all behavior that supported her underlying beliefs that she was unworthy and unlovable.

After that initial session, I created a plan for Mona to begin treating herself respectfully whether she felt she deserved it or not.  If she didn’t follow through, she would be fired from the program. I worked closely with Mona to remove sabotaging beliefs and create empowering ones.  I also created a series of assignments and exercises custom made for her that she would do every day from eating right and exercising to budgeting and taking care of herself. I walked side by side with her through every obstacle and every breakthrough. 

In three months, Mona lost 27 lbs, moved into a new apartment, got promoted and started dating.   Mona learned that by having someone help her every step of the way, adopting new beliefs about herself and taking actions that support those beliefs, she could, very quickly, begin getting everything she always wanted.  What she didn’t expect was that that man she started dating during the process would eventually become her husband.

To hear more of Mona’s story, visit www.bootcampforyourmind.com!

How stay-at-home parents can reach their life goals

If you're like most “Stay At Home” parents, you have goals in addition to raising amazing kids and keeping your homes running smoothly.  Maybe you have outside career aspirations like creating additional income, getting back into the workforce or working from home.  Maybe you just need a little more personal time or would like to lose weight or get more physically fit.  Or perhaps you'd like to create more quality time with your spouse or spend more time with your friends.

Whatever your goals and aspirations, it’s easy to get lost in your families goals and forget about your own or put yours aside. This can create a lot of problems for your relationships, career and health.

Here’s a plan of action designed to get you where you need to be.  Follow the steps below and soon you’ll find yourself reaching your goals, getting more done and feeling amazing!

1.       Determine what “YOU” REALLY want for yourself. -- Ask yourself what you really want.  Do you want to focus on losing weight, more intimacy with your spouse, starting a small business?  Figure it out and start to focus on that specific goal.

2.       See Your Life as an Entrepreneurial venture -- Just like any successful enterprise, you need to develop a business plan. set goals, create an office space for yourself, create a physical space solely for your outside work.  Mark your territory!

3.       Get Into “Solution Mode” -- Ask yourself some important questions: “How will I achieve my goals?  What actions steps do I need to take?”  What “gets in my way” and how will I solve that problem?  Who can help me if I don’t have the answers or need support?

4.       Make your schedule work for you -- Create a schedule to implement your action steps.  This needs to be a schedule that you LOVE.  Incorporate everything you have going on into the schedule and then find ways to work smarter and more efficiently to free up more time.

5.       Create a team to help you achieve your goals: --  A team can really help you get things done and provide accountability as you work towards your goals.  Include family, friend and those who support you in your team. For example, find an exercise buddy to make sure you workout.  Find other parents who can provide child care while you spend time with your spouse.  Exclude people who are “not” part of your team and may be negative influences.

Most importantly, stop talking about what you want to achieve, and START DOING IT!

Are you ready to work with a Life Coach?

A life coach can help you remove the obstacles that hold you back and really drive you towards the achievement of amazing things in your life.  Whether you want more money, better relationships, a more fulfilling career, or ANY positive change, a good life coach can help get you there.

But are you ready to start working with a life coach?  Take this simple evaluation and find out for yourself!  The results will give you a window into where I would start working with you if you were my client.

Please read each question and select the answer that most closely describes you or your level of commitment at this moment in time.   Write down your answer for each question, and tabulate the total score at the end.  Use the key at the end of the quiz to determine if you're ready to work with a coach.

(1=Least to 4=Most)

1-2-3-4 I have limiting beliefs and now is the time to take positive steps to move forward.

1-2-3-4 I am willing to listen and take advice from my coach.

1-2-3-4 I will commit to doing my assignments.

1-2-3-4 I am committed to truth and promise my coach a, "no games" relationship.

1-2-3-4 I am committed to living with passion and being the best I can be.

1-2-3-4 I am committing to showing up and being prepared for my coaching calls.

1-2-3-4 I am prepared to let the coach do their job and I will do mine.

1-2-3-4 I am prepared to stretch myself.

1-2-3-4 I am totally ready to reach for the next level in my life.

1-2-3-4 I am willing to experiment with ideas and concepts the coach provides.

1-2-3-4 I will tell the coach immediately if they overstep my personal boundaries and ask them to change their coaching approach.

1-2-3-4 I am ready to change NOW, today.

1-2-3-4 I know what I want and will use the coach to help me get there.

1-2-3-4 I totally understand that I am taking full responsibility for my own results.

1-2-3-4 I want the coach to always tell me the truth no matter what the circumstances.

___________Total Score:

SCORING:

60-53: You are a great candidate for coaching

52-47: You are ready. Your slight resistance is what is holding you back. This could be a good place to start the coaching.

46-39: You are on the fence. Before I would work with you we would need to examine "why" you are thinking about coaching.

39-0: Please come back when you are ready to make a commitment. You are not ready to take charge and make significant life changes.

Coaching is for those that are READY. This profile gives insight as to where you are today!

Click here to visit Amy's site, Bootcamp for your Mind!

Ask Amy: I have TONS of great ideas, but I never act on them. What do I do?

So you’re one of those big-thinker-types who’s always coming up some amazing ideas for saving the world or making people’s lives easier or making a ton of money. That’s awesome! The problem of NOT “taking action” on those great ideas, needs some investigation on your part.  Why don’t you act on your ideas?

Maybe it has something to do with how you think.  For example: maybe you never act on your ideas because you don’t think you are good enough or smart enough.  Or is it because you are attached to a particular result and afraid you won’t be able to achieve that result?  Maybe it is because you can’t identify which ideas are the ones you want to pursue – in other words, you simply don’t know what you want? 

Your lack of follow up may also be a result of your behavior.  For examples maybe you don’t know what actions to take, or you lack discipline in terms of following an action plan. Ask yourself this:  is it difficult for you to stay on track?

The first step towards becoming the kind of person who ACTS on their great ideas is to begin looking for solutions to the problems you identified in your investigation.  For example, if you lack discipline when it comes to following through with the action steps – time to hire that kick ass life coach.  Determine what you want specifically and how the way that you think and or behave actually contributes to the problem that you are having. By performing this crucial self-examination you (together with a kick ass life coach) can assess how to best remedy the situation.    Once you do that, you’ll be able to bring all your killer ideas to fruition!

Click here to visit Amy's site, Bootcamp for your Mind!