Disturb Your Routine

"The best cure for a sluggish mind is to disturb its routine."

~William H. Danforth

I'm on vacation for the next two weeks--changing my routine. Instead of grey skies and cold weather, I'm in the sun. Instead of moving forward to get things done, I'm relaxing, reading some good books and enjoying new adventures with friends. Getting out of your routine, whether it is taking a vacation or just doing something a little different, can get us out of our rut. We can often begin to think more creatively when we are outside of our normal routine.

This week: Find a way to break your winter doldrums by disturbing your routine. It might just be driving home from work a different way. It might be stopping to talk with someone you don't usually take the time to connect with. It might be going to a different restaurant, or ordering something completely different than you usually do. Explore small ways to change your routine.

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and trainer at Inner Resource Center, LLC. She helps people access resources to keep their lives meaningful and refreshed. Find about more by going to her website at http://www.innerresourcecenter.com/

Sometimes It Takes More Than Our Best

"It's not enough that we do our best; sometimes we have to do what's required."

~Winston Churchill

All of us have the challenge of working together to repair what is not working in our global communities. We must all stretch ourselves--perhaps beyond our best--to achieve all that is required of us. This quote by Churchill should remind us that we've done it before and can do it again. Let us have the common purpose and drive to do what is required.

This week: Think about what you can do personally to help your country and the world solve its big challenges. Are there ways you can join with others to make things happen? Begin to talk to others about it. The commitment and energy to do what is required comes from the groundswell of common purpose.

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and trainer at Inner Resource Center, LLC. She is committed to helping people meet their personal and professional challenges and find the resources to thrive. For more information and free resources for your personal growth, go to http://www.innerresourcecenter.com/ .

Practice Being Authentic

"Insist on yourself, never imitate."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

We hear the word "authentic" bandied about frequently. What is really means is the art of being true to yourself. Many of us hide behind social facades, fearful of letting anyone know the "real" person we are. Maybe the fear is that we won't be accepted for our true selves. The reality is that you are more likely to meet people who you can have meaningful relationships with when you are yourself, as opposed to pretending to be someone else.

This week: Practice being yourself. You don't have to reveal all the intimate details of your life, but show the world who you really are at least in some single social situation or with some trusted friend. Notice how it feels. Although it might feel uncomfortable at first, the more you do it, the less difficult it will become. Really. Often what stops us from being ourselves is a fear that others won't accept us or will judge us. Give yourself an opportunity this week to find out that others are too preoccupied with what YOU will think about them to jump into a judgment about you.

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and trainer at Inner Resource Center, LLC. She has 30 years experience helping people find their true, authentic selves by getting rid of the emotional clutter of negative emotions and limiting beliefs formed from past experiences. For more information go to http://www.innerresourcecenter.com/ .

Explore Your Capabilities

"If we did all the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves."

~Thomas Edison

All of us are capable of doing more than we think we can. We have untapped reservoirs of strength and creativity, knowledge and experience in all sorts of areas that we don't utilize. We stop ourselves with limiting beliefs--"I don't know enough," "I can't do it," "I'm too old or too young or too poor."

This week: Allow yourself to imagine what you could accomplish if you allowed yourself to do all that you are capable of doing. Just take some time to dream about this. What would you do first, especially if you KNEW FOR CERTAIN that you could succeed?

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and trainer at Inner Resource Center, LLC in Maryville, TN. She specializes in helping people find the resources to access their capabilities, and overcome the limiting beliefs that block their success. She can be reached at http://www.innerresourcecenter.com/ .

Having a Clear Purpose Gives You Focus

Above all be of single aim; have a legitimate and useful purpose, and devote yourself unreservedly to it.

~James Allen

As we start the New Year in a challenging time, it is vital to have a clear focus. When you connect that focus to a "useful purpose"--what I often think of as your "life's purpose," you will be amazed at how things begin to fall into place. Having that central theme and purpose to your activities gives you the energy and focus to make things happen.

This week: As you go through your daily activities, think about how those activities are related to your Life's Purpose. The more you can related even the most mundane things on your "to do" list to what is most important to you, the easier it will be to accomplish them.

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach, trainer and owner of Inner Resource Center, LLC in Maryville, TN. She has 30 years experience helping people live with greater ease and meaning. She is the author and creator of Discover Your Life's Purpose: 7 Steps to a Life of Meaning & Authenticity, an audio/CD program which takes participants through a simple 7 step approach to finding their true meaning. For more information, go to http://www.innerresourcecenter.com/