To Encourage Others to Be Their Best, Walk the Walk

"You get the best out of others when you get the best out of yourself."

~Harvey Firestone

One of the best ways to encourage others to be their best, is to model excellence for them. When you set a standard for excellence, then work to achieve it yourself, you can teach people by your example.  You can model how to overcome obstacles.  You can show others how to maintain motivation.  You can show them how to overcome adversity or those curve balls that life sometimes throws.  The best leaders lead by example.  If there are specific things you want others to do, make sure you are demonstrating how to do them.  We listen and learn from those who "walk the walk."

This week:  Think of some specific person you want to encourage to be their best.  It might be an employee, friend, child or parent.  How can you model "being your best" for them?  What skills do you have that you might share with them?  What can you demonstrate to them by how you are living your life?  If you want them to be their best, are you striving for that yourself.  Really look at it honestly.  Make adjustments if you need to.  This is one you may need to practice for a bit longer than one week, but the results will be well worth it!

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and trainer at the Inner Resource Center, LLC.  She specializes in helping people overcome their limitations and the ways they sabotage their success and happiness using the skills she has developed from over 30 years of experience.  For more information to become your best, go to http://www.innerresourcecenter.com/ .

Stretch Yourself by Aiming High With Your Goals

"The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short, but in setting our aim too low and achieving our mark."

~Michelangelo

If you are afraid of failing, you may end up not even setting a goal that will stretch you.  But in doing so, you deprive yourself and others of all that you might be able to accomplish.  Michelangelo is a great example.  Had he not aimed high, we might have been deprived of his architecture, artwork, sculpture, poetry and understanding of human anatomy.  The Sistine Chapel might be painted "ceiling white".  When we stop ourselves from stretching to be the best we can be, we fall short or all that we are capable of achieving.  Aim high with your goals.  Stretch yourself to be the best. 

This week:  Take a look at what you would like to be able to accomplish.  Do you stop yourself from trying because you think it is "too big" or "too difficult?"  Do you let your self-doubt stop you?  If so, set a goal this week that will really stretch you to be your best.  Take at least one action to begin moving toward that goal.  If you don't succeed at achieving it, so what?  Think about what you can learn in the process.  Think about how stretching yourself with this goal will serve you with future goals. 

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert in helping people achieve goals that they had not thought possible.  She helps clients overcome self sabotage and self doubt so that they can find within themselves the resources to achieve at the highest levels.  For more information and free resources, go to http://www.innerresourcecenter.com/ .

Be the Best You Can Be

“Whatever you are, be a good one.”

~Abraham Lincoln

All of us have a path to take in this life, and no matter what you are, you owe it to yourself and others to strive for excellence. If you want to make a difference, if you want your life to count, be the best that you can be. No matter what career you hold, be good at it.

This week: Identify an area in your career (or in some other area of your life) where you could improve. What would you need to do differently? What would you need to know? What steps could you take to bring about that improvement? What is the first step? Begin to do it. Notice how it feels to commit yourself to excellence.

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert in helping people achieve excellence in a way that is meaningful.