Wealth Is a State of Mind

"Wealth is not a material gain, but a state of mind."

~Jerry Gillies

What we think and feel about our lives is really what determines if we are wealthy or not.  If you are focused on what you DON'T HAVE, you will feel poor.  If you are focused on what you DO HAVE, you will feel rich.  There will always be people who have more than you have in terms of financial wealth.  And there will always be people who have less than you have in terms of financial resources.  It isn't about how much stuff you've accumulated or the cost of the things you own, it is the quality of your life that determines your life's richness.  And the quality of your life is determined by what you think about it.

This week:  Notice those who have less than you as well as those who have more than you. (Usually the latter is pretty easy to notice).  Think about what it is that really makes your life rich.  Write down those things.  Then review your list and see how you are doing at creating real wealth in your life (the non-monetary kind).  Is there something you could do to help yourself create more richness in your life?  Set an intention to do that.  You deserve to have a rich, meaningful, authentic life!

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert in helping people overcome the mindset limitations and limiting beliefs that keep them from creating a life that is rich, both personally and financially.  She has created a 7-step process for finding your life's purpose and beginning to live it.  For more information, go to http://www.InnerResourceCenter.com .  

Be Yourself

"You can't base your life on other people's expectations."

~Stevie Wonder 

We've all done it at some point or another--tried to live our lives based on someone else's expectations.  Those people might have been our parents.  Or maybe our peers.  Or a significant other. Most of us have learned the hard way that basing your life on other people's expectations leaves you living someone else's life.  And, just like wearing someone else's shoes, it may not fit very well.  You life needs to be a reflection of you.  It needs to reflect what is important to you, what you are passionate about, what brings you joy (or sorrow).  Each of us is given a life to live, and we deserve to live it to the fullest. 

This week: Take a hard look at how much you are living your life to fit someone else's expectations.  Are you compromising your values to get along? Are you ignoring things you like to do because someone else doesn't feel the same way?  Are you going along to get along?  Are you avoiding long overdue confrontations?  If so, make a decision to be more of yourself.  Do ONE SMALL THING to express something about yourself, regardless of whether or not others approve.

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert in helping people identify what is most important to them and help them overcome the "need to please." She wants people to live meaningful, purposeful lives and created Discover Your Life's Purpose: 7 Steps to a Life of Meaning & Authenticity, a self help CD/workbook program.  For more information go to http://www.innerresourcecenter.com/ .

Warren Buffet's Advice

"The one piece of advice I can give you is, 

do what turns you on. 

Do something that if you had all the money in the world, 

you’d still be doing it. 

You’ve got to have a reason to 

jump out of bed in the morning."

~Warren Buffet

You need to have passion for what you do every day.  That is what sustains you when times are tough or when you are facing tasks that are a challenge.  If you do what you love, you bring to your job creativity, enthusiasm, energy and joy.  That is contagious and communicates itself to your clients or customers. If you really have a passion for your career and are willing to commit yourself to the expression of that passion, you'll find a way to make it successful.

This week: Think about what got you interested in the job you currently hold.  Is there passion there, or was there passion at one time?  If you've lost it, think about what you'd need to be able to recapture it.  If you are doing something that you are not passionate about, is there something else you need to be doing? If so, figure out what the first step might be in moving into that.  Don't get scared--you don't have to make a jump right now.  Just consider what small thing you could do to move you in that direction.  Sometimes it may be just acknowledging your dream.  What's your dream?

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert at helping people discover their passion and overcome the obstacles to making it happen.  She specializes in helping her clients over mindset limitations--those limiting beliefs and attitudes that keep you stuck.  For more information about her services, go to http://www.innerresourcecenter.com/



It's All in How You Think About It

"Being challenged in life is inevitable,

 being defeated is optional."

~Roger Crawford

It seems that it is inevitable that challenges will occur in our lives. Changes happen and we must be able to roll with them.  We have to be able to adapt and accommodate.  If we are unwilling to change, we set ourselves up to be defeated.  It is all in how you think about it. Challenge and change can bring you to some new and exciting places as long as you are open to it.

This week:  Take a good look at your life.  What are the inevitable challenges you face?  Do they require you to change your approach?  Do they require you to think about things differently?  What changes would help you meet those challenges?  If you could change how you think about something, would it turn defeat into success?  What is ONE SMALL THING you could do right now that would help you change your thinking and meet this challenge.  Take that step.  Then figure out what the next step would be.  Before you know it, you'll be on your way.

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert in helping people overcome the limiting beliefs and mindset limitations that keep them stuck.  She uses the resources she's developed in 32 years of practice to give you the right tools to resolve challenges quickly so that you can move on. For more information, go to http://www.InnerResourceCenter.com .

Getting Outside Your Comfort Zone Is Necessary For Success

"To be successful, all you have to do 

is give up everything you know."

~Asara Lovejoy

O.K., this isn't quite true, but it seems like it.  To be successful, you need to be able to let go of preconceived notions, long-standing limitations and habits that don't serve you.  You need to get out of your comfort zone and stretch yourself.  Sometimes when you are doing things that feel uncomfortable, or struggling to learn new skills, you may feel like you are having to give up everything you know.  Remember that new skills feel uncomfortable until you practice them.  In time and with practice, they become second nature.  

This week:   Take an honest look at where you stand with your success, however you define it.  How well is your old approach working for you?  Do you need a new approach?  Do you need to find new models for success?  Do you need to develop new skills?  If you could stretch yourself in only ONE area, would it make a difference?  Use this inventory to identify ways you may need to "step up your game."  Identify an area in which you could stretch yourself.  Outline a plan for making that happen.  Now, this week, before any more time has passed, take the first step in that plan.  Congratulations!  You are stepping outside your comfort zone!

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert in helping people achieve goals they had not thought even possible using her solution focused approach.  She specializes in helping people overcome the mindset limitations that block their success (and happiness).  For more information, go to http://www.InnerResourceCenter.com .  

Stretch Outside Your Comfort Zone

"Do one thing everyday that scares you."

~Eleanor Roosevelt

I love this quote because it reminds me to continue to stretch myself every day, to confront the things that scare me.  When we face the things that make us uncomfortable we gain confidence.  We may not always be successful, but we have faced down the fear.  Face your fear and do it anyway.  Most times the things we are afraid of are in our heads.  We allow ourselves to be blocked by those limiting beliefs--those mindset limitations--that tell us that scary or terrible things will happen.  We already allow ourselves to be affected by those fears, even when the things we are afraid of have not happened.  

This week:  Uncover something that you've been afraid to do EVERY SINGLE DAY.  Yep.  Do one thing every day that scares you.  It doesn't have to be huge or earth-shattering.  We all have lots of little fears along with those big ones.  So start small.  Pick something you've been scared to do and do it right now.  When you have done it, breathe a sigh of relief.  You did it!  Now write down what you will do every day for the rest of the week.  Face those fears, big or small.  At the end of the week notice how you feel.  Once you've done something you were afraid of, do you continue to be scared of it?  If so, that's O.K., but keep practicing! 

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert at helping people confront their limiting beliefs and the things they believe block them.  She helps them stretch themselves to achieve goals they had not thought  possible using her solution focused approach.  For more information or to see how a Personal Breakthrough Intensive Session could help you blast through fear completely, go to http://www.InnerResourceCenter.com .   

You Are More Than You Think You Are

"You are much grander than you think you are."

~Asara Lovejoy

While it is certainly true that many people hide their brilliance behind a veil of false modesty, the reality is that none of us (not even the most arrogant) can really capture how much we are truly capable of.  No matter what you think you really are, you are always something more.  In part this is because we are not able to completely understand all that we are and can be.  We have not yet thought of ideas and creations we will manifest, nor  dreamed the dreams we will make come true.  All of that potential swims around in some sea of our unconscious until the time is right to emerge.  You don't have to toot your own horn and brag about how grand you are and can be.  All you need to do is to keep open to the possibility that you may not yet know how grand you are.

This week:  Take some time to look back at your life so far.  Notice in particular if there were times when you limited yourself with how you thought about your capabilities.  Acknowledge that maybe those limitations weren't really true.  Think about times when you overcame obstacles or achieved more than you thought you could.  Think about dreams you may have given up on because you didn't think something was possible.  Now think ahead to the future.  What would you want to do if you knew it was completely possible?  What would you do if you knew you had all the resources you needed?  What would you be if you could be anything?  Open yourself up to all the possibilities.  Now, devise some ritual that will help keep you open to your own possibilities.  What could you say or do that will remind you that you are much grander than you think?  

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert at helping people stretch beyond their mindset limitations.  She specializes in helping people let go of negative emotions and limiting beliefs from the past, and often utilizes intensive sessions over a 4 day period to help people break through in some area of their lives.  For more information, go to http://www.InnerResourceCenter.com . 

Don't Wait Too Long to Use Your Ideas

“Turn every idea upside down to see

 if there is an expiration date stamped on the bottom.”

~Thomas Shepherd

While it may sound strange to check for the "expiration date" of ideas as if they were carton of milk or a loaf of bread, the timing of an idea may be vital to its success.  When you have ideas or opportunities to develop something new, check to see what the urgency is of creating it.  Ideas that fit with the needs of those around you deserve a higher priority.  You don't want to miss your window of opportunity.  Some ideas have a much longer "shelf life," however.  In fact, the current conditions might not support your pursuit of that idea.  If that is the case, write down the idea on a piece of paper and save it in a "parking lot."  Your parking lot is the place where you "park" your ideas until a) you have more time; or b) the timing is right to pursue it.  But make sure you note that "expiration date" so that you don't wait too long!

This week:  Just notice the "expiration date" on ideas you have or those others approach you with.  How does knowing that change the priority you assign it?  Is there something you need to do to make sure that you don't end up throwing out perfectly good ideas because you've waited too long to use them?  At the end of this week, make a decision about how you are going to incorporate "expiration dates" into your use of ideas.

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert at helping people achieve goals they had not thought possible using her solution focused approach.  She helps clients take the necessary action to reach goals efficiently and to overcome any mindset limitations that might be interfering with success.  For more information, go to http://www.InnerResourceCenter.com

It All Begins With Your Imagination

"First comes thought; 

then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; 

then transformation of those plans into reality. 

The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination."

~Napoleon Hill

Sometimes people wonder about how to do strategic planning.   It isn't something magical.  It involves following these steps to create the plan for your organization or for your life.   First comes thought--the vision--what you imagine things could be like.  Then you break down that vision into ideas and plans, then begin to take action steps to make those plans comes true.  The beginning, though, is in your imagination.  It is the vision, the passion, the idea that "I really WANT this."  The magic is in the compelling vision, because that is what drives it all.

This week:  Do you have a vision of something you'd like to have happen in your life or career?  Is it compelling?  Do you feel passionately about it?  If not, play with it until you can experience those emotions that tell you it is a must have. If so, create a plan to make it happen.  Then break that plan into smaller steps and take action.  Do at least one small action today.  And at least once a day, reconnect with that vision, that passion, that compelling future that emerged from your imagination.  Stay connected to it because that is what will keep you moving forward toward achieving it.  

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert in helping people identify their vision, mission and life purpose.  She specializes in helping people figure out HOW, to access their resources and to create the steps to easily achieve their goals.  For more information, go to http://www.InnerResourceCenter.com. 

Being True to Yourself Gives True Freedom

"True independence and freedom can only exist in doing what's right."

~Brigham Young

When we allow ourselves to be guided by our moral compass and our  beliefs about what is really right, we can be authentic to ourselves and those around us.  When you are true to yourself, you can experience true independence and  freedom.  It isn't about being what others expect of us that counts; it is what we expect of ourselves.  When we live our personal code of what we believe is right, we express ourselves more fully.  Doing that means setting and enforcing boundaries with others about what we believe is right.  Here's an example:  Many years ago when I was still in grad school, I had a boyfriend who didn't pay his child support.  He used his tax refund to buy a camera instead.  Although I tried to pretend that it was none of my business, this ran so counter to my sense of what was right that I ultimately felt compelled 

to end the relationship.    

This week:  Spend some time evaluating how in tune your life and daily activities are with what you think is right.  Do you ever "go along" just to not make waves?  Do you stand up to intolerance?  Do you express your beliefs, even if they aren't popular?  It takes courage to stand up for what you believe, but the payoff is huge in terms of your own self respect, freedom and authenticity.  This week make the decision to stand up for ONE THING with ONE PERSON.  Notice how this feels. 

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert in helping people uncover their values, needs, life's purpose, passion and meaning.  She specializes in helping people overcome negative emotions and limiting beliefs from the past, (what she calls "emotional clutter").  For more information go to http://www.InnerResourceCenter.com .  

Great Things Are Done in Smaller Steps

"Great things are done by a series of 

small things brought together."

~ Vincent van Gogh

Whether you are doing all the small things yourself to create something bigger, or whether you are collaborating with others to put together the pieces that will make your outcome greater than the sum of each part, when you take small steps and put them together, you often get something greater than you had anticipated at the start.  The small steps make the task easier to accomplish.  Sometimes doing things in small steps is the only way to get things accomplished at all.  The job is too big to do all at once, or too overwhelming to achieve.  Small steps keep you from being overwhelmed, and allows you to build momentum towards your goal.  Take those small steps; do those small things and achieve something greater than you'd thought possible.  


This week:  Take a small step toward a big goal.  Do some small thing without expecting yourself to "do it all."  Notice what that feels like.  Although you may think what you did is pretty insignificant in the bigger scheme of things, beginning the journey toward that bigger goal or achievement starts you moving forward.  Do something little every day this week toward some outcome you'd like to accomplish.  Notice your progress at the end of the week.  You may still have a long way to go, but you've made a dent in it, have you not?  Congratulate yourself or reward yourself in some way.  If you like this approach, make a commitment to doing it again next week.  


Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert in helping people achieve goals they had not thought possible using her solution focused approach.  She specializes in helping people overcome mindset limitations that often block our success.  For more information go to http://www.InnerResourceCenter.com .

Find the Place Inside You Where Nothing Is Impossible

"You must find the place inside yourself 

where nothing is impossible."

~Deepak Chopra

We are all capable of so much more than we believe is possible.  We limit ourselves by our thoughts that we don't have the skills, don't have the capabilities to achieve what we'd like to dream.  In order to really succeed, we each need to find that place within ourselves where nothing is impossible.  If you can conceive of something, you can find the way to achieve it.  But you have to let go of the beliefs and the mindset that limit you.

This week:  Imagine what you would do if you knew that you could not fail.  If you knew that anything was not only possible, but you could achieve it, what would you do?  This connects you not only with what is really most important to you, but also where you've put limitations.  Spend some time this week considering whether those limitations are really true, or have you imagined them.  Understand that anything you can imagine can be changed to something less limiting.  Take time to imagine what you would need in order to have a mindset that "I can do it; anything is possible."  What do you need to do in order to make that a reality?  Write down the steps and commit yourself to taking at least one step this week.

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert and helping people achieve goals they had not thought possible using a variety of solution focused methods.  She believes that you CAN achieve anything if you have the right tools, and at the Inner Resource Center, LLC helps people find the resources necessary to transform their lives.  For more information, go to http://www.InnerResourceCenter.com . 

Are You Ready to Change Your Bad Habits?

“Bad habits are like a comfortable bed, easy to get into, but hard to get out of.”

~Unknown

We often get comfortable with our habits, even if they are not habits that are good for us.  It isn't that we are too lazy to change them; only that sometimes the pain of that bad habit isn't strong enough to motivate us to "get up" and change.  Actually, changing habits doesn't have to be that difficult, but is DOES require that you have the intention and motivation to stick with your decision to change and follow through.  Just as you have to decide to get out of bed in the morning, you also have to decide that you want to make the change.

 This week:  Think about a bad habit you have wanted to change. Are you ready to make a commitment to this change? It needs to be more than a belief that "it would be nice to change,"  it needs to be absolutely essential for you to make the change.  Think about what will happen if you don't make this change.  What will happen to you and the life you want to have?  What won't happen as a result of not changing this bad habit?  Are there things that won't happen if you change this bad habit?  What good things can happen if you make the change?  Fully consider the consequences of keeping yourself stuck in this bad habit.  Decide if you are really motivated to change.  If not, don't pretend that you are.  Acknowledge to yourself whether you are motivated to change or not.  If not, what will you need to do to get motivated?  Do you know what it will take to change that bad habit? 

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert in helping people make the changes necessary to overcome obstacles to their success and happiness.  When you have the right tools, you can change any bad habit, and it isn't even all that difficult.  For more information got to http://www.innerresourcecenter.com/ and download free resources or call for a complimentary consultation.

You Have to Choose

"You are doomed to make choices. This is life's greatest paradox."

~Dr. Wayne Dyer

Even when we postpone decisions, we are deciding.  Sometimes not deciding becomes a decision in its own right. No matter what, we MUST make choices in our lives.  We have so many opportunities, but at some point we must make a choice and restrict those opportunities.  It is unavoidable, and trying to keep from "losing" opportunities ensures that you will indeed lose them.You must make choices, and worrying about being "wrong" keeps you stuck.  Set your foot down on the path that is best for you and move forward.

This week:  Ask yourself: "Are there decisions I've been avoiding?  Are there choices I'm postponing?   Am I afraid of being wrong?"  Write down what you have been avoiding, and really examine honestly if fear of making mistakes with your choices has been keeping you from moving forward.  If so, know that the fear is a part of a limiting mindset.  It keeps you from taking a chance and making choices.  And by doing that it limits your ability to take advantage of any opportunities.  The key is being able to trust yourself enough and know that each decision takes you on a journey, and on each journey there are many lessons and much to see.

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert in helping people overcome limiting mindsets. She utilizes a variety of tools to help people make changes rapidly so that they can move on.  If you want more information about how she can help you and tools to help you when you are stuck, go to http://www.InnerResourceCenter.com .