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. 

Opportunities May Be Right In Front of You

"Your big opportunity may be right where you are now."

~Napoleon Hill

Too often we wait for opportunities.  We think that they will come under some sort of special circumstances.  The reality is that there are probably opportunities right in front of you.  There may be opportunities that can come to you from the things you are doing right now.  There may be opportunities that are right in front of you in your current job, or in your current relationships or even in your daily activities.  All it takes is allowing yourself to see opportunities.  The key is in beginning to notice them.  Once you do, you may find your big opportunity may be right where you are now.  But you have to notice it.

This week:  Spend some time looking around for the opportunities all around you.  Notice possible opportunities in your current situation.  Allow yourself to imagine and extrapolate from where you are right now.  Ask yourself "What if?" possibility questions.  "What could I create from this situation?"  "What problem needs to be solved and how might I create a solution?"  As you meet new people, look for ways to connect with opportunities they may offer.  Even if you are not interested, notice that opportunities are there.  You need to be able to recognize that opportunities are right in front of you, so that you can recognize the "big opportunity" when you see it.  As you begin to notice the opportunities all around you, jot them down.  At the end of the week, review your list and determine if there are any opportunities that you'd like to pursue.  If not, are there people you can share them with? 

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and trainer at the Inner Resource Center, LLC in Maryville, TN.  She is an expert at helping people make transformational changes in their lives and careers.  She often helps people identify and explore opportunities and determine what fits them and their life's purpose best.  For more information go to http://www.innerresourcecenter.com/ .

Live Each Day Fully

"And in the end it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years."

~Abraham Lincoln

If you want your life to count, you need to live with meaning.  Don't waste your time doing unimportant things.  If you do not yet know what your life's purpose is, discovering it can change everything.  If you life according to your life's purpose, you begin to live with passion, with creativity, with intention, with meaning.  You make those years count.  You impact not only YOUR life, but the lives of those with whom you come in contact. 

This week:  Think about how you would like your life to be remembered.  What is really most important to you?  What do you feel passionate about?  What do you stand for?  What themes have played out in you life?  Is there a hint in all that about what you are meant to do, what your life's true purpose is?  To know your life's purpose, you must first know yourself, because that purpose needs to fit you.  Spend some time this week thinking about what is most important to you, what your unique gifts may be, and how you would like to make your life count.

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert at helping people create lives of greater meaning.  At the Inner Resource Center, LLC, she helps people identify their inner resources so that they can maximize success and happiness, while living meaningful, authentic lives.  She has created Discover Your Life's Purpose: 7 Steps to a Life of Meaning & Authenticity, an easy to follow program for identifying your life's purpose.   For more information, go to http://www.InnerResourceCenter.com .

You Are In Charge of Time

"Time flies. It’s up to you to be the navigator."

 ~Robert Orben

It doesn't matter if you are "ready or not" time moves forward.  It is up to each of us to decide how we want to spend that time.  We are in charge of it.  We get to decide what is important or not important, what we need to attend to and how we spend our time.  Too many people think they are the "victim" of time that is outside of their control.  For them, time is like a runaway airplane, taking them places they don't want to go--or crashing into the barren desert.  In reality, though, we each control our own time.  Seize control and go where YOU want to go with your time.

This week:  Begin to notice how you are spending your time.  Notice in particular when you feel that you are not controlling your time.  When you catch yourself feeling out of control, ask yourself:  Is this an important way to be spending my time?  If not, figure out how you gave away the controls.  Reclaim them by saying "no" or refocusing your attention on things that matter.  Notice if it feels better to be doing what matters most.

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and trainer at Inner Resource Center, LLC.  She is an expert at helping people figure out what matters most and create lives of greater meaning.  She is the creator of the Discover Your Life's Purpose program--7 steps to a life of meaning and authenticity.  For more information go to http://www.innerresourcecenter.com/ .

Make Your Life Count

"What we do in life echoes in eternity."

~Maximus Decimus Meridius

The actions that we take and our intentions all leave a legacy.  In order to make your life count, pay attention to what you do, say and the impact you have on others.  Most of us would like to leave a positive legacy.  To do that, I think it is important to live with intention, congruent with your life's true purpose.  Don't know what that is?  Take time to consider how you want to be remembered and what is most important to you.  How do you want your life to "echo in eternity?"

This week:  Ask yourself:  How do I want to be remembered?  What is the legacy I want to leave behind?  What important message was I put on this earth to deliver?  What special gifts do I have to share?  How would I like to make a difference?  Write down the answers.  This may give you some clues about what your life's purpose is and what legacy you could leave.

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert in helping people discover their life's purpose and create more meaningful lives. Her business, Inner Resource Center, LLC helps people find the resources to transform their lives.  For more information, go to http://www.InnerResourceCenter.com.  Look for information about her audio CD and workbook program:  Discover Your Life's Purpose: 7 Steps to a Life of Meaning & Authenticity.  Check the "Products" page for more information about how to order.

Your Passion Gives a Gift to Others

"As we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same."

 ~Marianne Williamson

When we live passionately and enthusiastically, we attract others to us.  Whether they share our particular passion or not, they can see by our example how energized our life is by something of meaning.  Without saying a word, we give them a glimpse of what they could experience and what their life could be like.   That is a powerful gift. It gives them permission to explore their own passion and begin to live it.  And isn't that what life is about--living fully and meaningfully?

This week:  Think about something about which you feel passionately.  Begin to talk passionately about it with others.  Let your feelings show through.  Let people see the meaning it has to you.  Allow yourself to dream about pursuing this passion even more.  Dream about the possibilities it might have for you.  Share your dreams with others.  Notice the effect your sharing has on others.  Does it bring out their passion?  (Even if they don't agree with you, they may begin to respond more passionately themselves).

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and creator of several programs to help people create greater meaning in their lives, including her self help audio/workbook program: Discover Your Life's Purpose: 7 Steps to a Life of Meaning & Authenticity.  For more information, go to http://www.innerresourcecenter.com/ . 

To Change the World, Change Yourself

"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself."

~Leo Tolstoy

Many of us want to change the world, or at least change those around us.  What we often fail to realize is that when we look to ourselves and begin to change, those around us begin to change in response to the differences in us. 

This week:  Change one small thing about yourself.  Change an attitude; change your response to someone; react differently than you usually do.  Do that for at least one full day.  Now notice how others change in response to the changes in us.  Consider making those changes permanent and enjoy the impact that has on those around us.  Imagine how the world would change if everyone changed one small thing...

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert in helping people make changes in their lives.  She specializes in helping people discover their life's purpose and move toward living more meaningful, authentic lives.  For more information go to http://www.innerresourcecenter.com/

Living Your Potential Requires Courage

It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.

~e.e. cummings

It takes courage to accept your calling and move into living fully and purposefully. Who you really are encompasses your personality, your spirit, your life purpose and your soul. Growing up and becoming who you really are means no longer hiding your potential. It means actualizing all that you are capable of being. It means doing all you are capable of doing. It means living fully and authentically.

This week: Consider what your life would be like if you had the courage to live your potential, to live fully. If you embraced your purpose and calling, how would your life be different? How would the lives of others be different? What would you accomplish if you knew you could not fail? Now consider what you need in order to have this sort of courage. What resources could help you? Breathe deeply and imagine yourself having all the resources you need. You do, you know.

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach, trainer and expert at helping people find the resources to transform their lives. She specializes in helping people uncover their own inner resources for achieving the goals of their dreams. Using a solution focused approach, she helps her clients let go of negative emotions and limiting beliefs that can crush their success and happiness. For more information, go to http://www.innerresourcecenter.com/ .

Take Steps to Be the Person You Might Have Been--and Can Be

"It is never too late to be who you might have been."

~George Eliot

If you have been waiting to be the person you were intended to be, wait no longer. Waiting for circumstances to be "just right" to allow you to pursue your dream, find your life's purpose or realize your potential simply ensures that you postpone the meaning that your life could express.

This week: Sit down with a piece of paper. Think about what you've been postponing. Have you wanted a different career, relationship or life? What is missing? What blocks you from being all you can be? Imagine what you could be if you knew you could not fail. Think about what you need to get there. If there are obstacles, think about what resources you have that could help you achieve that life of greater meaning. Ask for help if you need it.

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert in helping people reach their dreams using her solution focused approach. She has created several programs to assist her clients in discovering their life's purpose, reach their goals, and overcome the obstacles to their dreams. For more information, go to http://www.innerresourcecenter.com/ . Find free resources to be who you are really capable of being.

Find Passion in Your Career

"If you can't find passion for anything in your business you are in a wrong business - get out now!"

~Adam Urbanski

Life is too short to spend your time and energy working at something for which you feel no passion at all. You owe it to yourself, your customers or clients, and your employer (especially if your employer is you) to bring passion to your business.

This week: Ask yourself: What excites me about what I do for a living? What do I really enjoy about it? What special talent or product do I bring to the world? What do I want the world to know about what I do? How does what I do make a difference, even a small one, in the lives of others? If you are bored and jaded with your career, remember what it was that appealed to you about it in the first place. See if you can reconnect with the passion that you once felt. If not, ask yourself: "What DO I feel passionate about?" It may be time to redesign your career.

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert in helping people design a magnificent life--a life that reflects passion, meaning and authenticity. She helps people discover a career path that fits with their needs, values, personality and life's purpose. For more information go to http://www.innerresourcecenter.com/

How to Live on Purpose

"The fruits of a fulfilling life—happiness, confidence, enthusiasm, purpose, and money—are mainly by-products of doing something we enjoy, with excellence, rather than things we can seek directly."

~Dan Miller

When you live with purpose, doing something that you are passionate about, enjoyment tends to follow. When you commit yourself to excellence--being the best you can be, using your skills and gifts fully, your life also takes on a fullness that is missing when you are just going through the motions.

This week: Do something you feel strongly about or that you enjoy. Notice whether the "fruits of a fulfilling life" accompany that. Do you feel happier? More confident? More enthusiastic? Did you feel more purposeful? Did you make money at it? If you felt even a little bit more fulfilled, you are on the right track.

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert in helping people live more meaningful, happier lives. She specializes in helping people get rid of emotional clutter--those negative emotions and limiting beliefs formed from past experiences, and find their life's purpose. For more information about her solution-focused approach, go to http://www.innerresourcecenter.com/

Live with Meaning and Joy!

"Maybe you are here on earth to learn that life is what you make of it, and it's to be enjoyed."

~Dick Sutphen

Sometimes people think that they are victims of Fate or circumstances. They work hard to live their lives in a meaningful way, but forget to enjoy the time they have on this earth. I believe that when you have discovered your life's purpose, and begin to live it, you can more fully enjoy your life. You can choose the life you want to live--by choosing how you react to the circumstances that occur. You make the meaning of your life, and you can choose to live your life with with joy!

This week: Look for opportunities to choose to change the meaning you assign to the circumstances and events in your life. Put yourself in charge of making your life the way you want it, rather than reacting to it. And along the way, look for opportunities this week to enjoy yourself. Then, at the end of the week, notice what you think about the week that has passed. Is it better? More joyful? Do you feel less like a "victim?"

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and author of the audio CD/workbook program: Discover Your Life's Purpose: 7 Steps to a Life of Meaning and Authenticity. For more information go to http://www.InnerResourceCenter.com and sign up for her monthly report Inner Resources.

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/ .

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/

When You Live Your Beliefs You Can Change the World

"Live your beliefs and you can turn the world around."

~Henry David Thoreau

As we start 2009, this quote captures my sentiments for the New Year. We all have the opportunity to turn the world around. In the U.S., we've seen what can happen when people are willing to get involved. My wish for 2009 is that all of us with begin to live what we believe, and in doing so, make our world a peaceful, healthy, prosperous place for all it's inhabitants.

This week: Spend some time at New Year's thinking about what just what you believe. How will you carry these beliefs into your daily life?

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and trainer at Inner Resource Center, LLC in Maryville, Tennessee. She is passionate about helping people find their life's purpose in order to live their lives in meaningful ways. She is the creator and author of Discover Your Life's Purpose: 7 Steps to a Life of Meaning & Authenticity. For more information go to http://www.innerresourcecenter.com/

What Lies Within You Shines More Than Anything Else

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters, compared to what lies within us."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

While the events of our pasts have helped to shape us, and the accomplishments of our future will reflect upon us, it is what is inside us that really matters. How we express ur soul's purpose, how we express the uniqueness in us is what is most important.

This week: Amongst all the holiday stress and celebrations, notice if you are expressing what really lies within you. Are you sharing the love that resides inside you? The generosity? Are you expressing your connection to God and other people? Take some time to let what lies within you shine. I think you'll find it shines like that star over Bethlehem.

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach, and trainer at Inner Resource Center, LLC in Maryville, TN. She helps people find their unique passion and purpose so that they can live meaningful, authentic lives. Check out her audio CD/workbook program: Discover Your Life's Purpose: 7 Steps to a Life of Meaning & Authenticity at http://www.innerresourcecenter.com/ .

Living Your Life's Purpose Brings Happiness

"Many persons have a wrong idea about what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose."

~Helen Keller

When you discover and begin to live your life's true purpose, you discover that decisions are easier, life is more satisfying, and you can really create a happy life. When everything is congruent with your life's purpose, happiness follows.

This week: Begin to think about your life's true purpose. Consider where your passion lies. Connect with what is most important to you. What sort of mark would you like to make on the world if you could? Who would you want to help?

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert in helping people discover their life's purpose by taking them through a 7 step process For more information about her audio CD/workbook program: Discover Your Life's Purpose: 7 Steps to a Life of Meaning & Authenticity go to http://www.innerresourcecenter.com/

Time and Experience Allows Us to "Unfold"

"Time does not change us.

It just unfolds us."

~Max Frisch

Our lives unfold with time and our experiences, helping us become more of who we are at the core of ourselves. We all hold within ourselves the blueprint of who we really are--our life purpose; our values; the things that make us each unique. Allow yourself to unfold further over time. Give yourself permission to be the person you really are capable of being. Embrace it!

This week: Think about what you were like as a child. What was important to you then? Think also about who you were as a teenager. How have you "unfolded?" Notice the traits that you have brought with you, the things about you that have deepened and been enriched by time and your life experiences. Appreciate how you have unfolded thus far. What other ways would you like to unfold and enrich your life?

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach, trainer and owner of Inner Resource Center, LLC. She helps people find the resources inside themselves to enrich their lives and discover more meaning and satisfaction. She can be reached at http://www.innerresourcecenter.com/ .