Emptying Your Mind Creates Space for Peace

"A primary method for gaining a mind full of 

peace is to practice emptying the mind."

~Napoleon Hill

We are often so caught up with working and doing things that we ignore peace.  We might crave it, but we don't do anything to pursue it or encourage it.  For many of us, thoughts chase us throughout the day, even into the night.  We have trouble turning our mind off, so we have trouble getting sleep.  We find it difficult to relax because we are always thinking of everything we have to do.  At least once a day, we need to empty our minds to create space for peace.  Turn off the thoughts and turn your mind inward, allowing your thoughts to drift away.  Breathe.  Keep breathing.  Allow your muscles to relax and stay in the present moment.  Invite peace into your life.  And watch your life change in positive ways.

This week: Everyday take at least 15 minutes to empty your mind.  Breathe deeply from your belly and sigh when you exhale.  Allow the tension to leave your shoulders and neck.  Picture your mind emptying out.  Imagine your thoughts taking flight and disappearing into the sky above you.  (Don't worry, you'll be able to get them back).  Imagine washing your mind with your favorite color.  Bathe your mind in calming light and energy.  Invite peace into your mind to fill the space that is now there.  Relax and enjoy.  Do this at least once a day for a full week.  Notice how you feel at the end of the week.  Isn't peace worth at least 15 minutes of your day?

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert in helping people overcome the mindset limitations that often block success and happiness.  A mindset limitation may be a belief that "I can't turn off my mind" or that "I need to pay attention to everything so that I don't forget something."  Wouldn't it be nice to let that stuff go?  For more information about the tools Linda uses, go to http://www.InnerResourceCenter.com .  Discover the resources to transform your life... 

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 .

The Secret to Success Is Being Ready

"The great secret of success in life is for a man 

to be ready when his opportunity comes."

~Benjamin Disraeli

There are a lot of secrets about success, but this one is vital.  Opportunities may come to us, but we may not ready for them.  When we are not ready, we either ignore them, completely oblivious to them, or we attempt to seize the opportunity, but cannot deliver.  We are not ready for that opportunity, and thus, cannot really use it fully.  In this time of economic challenge, people are waiting for opportunities.  But they may be doing little to get ready for those opportunities.  It is a perfect use of your "waiting time" to do what you need to do to be ready, so that you will be able to use the opportunity fully. 

This week:  Ask yourself: "What do I need to do to really be ready to seize the opportunities that come to me?  Is there personal work I need to do to keep myself from self-sabotage?  Are there things I need in my business or in my career that can help better support me when opportunities come along?  Are there skills I need to further develop?"  Write down the ideas that come to you.  You might also want to ask a trusted friend or associate these questions.  Come up with a plan to implement growth in at least one area to help you get ready to take advantage of the opportunities that are coming your way.   Once you have that plan, take the first step!  (Planning isn't enough--you have to take action, too). 

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert in helping people overcome obstacles to their success.  She specializes in helping people overcome mindset limitations and ways that they sabotage themselves. For more information and free resources, go to http://www.InnerResourceCenter.com . 

Leave the Past Behind

"The farther behind I leave the past, 

the closer I am to forging my own character."

~ Isabelle Eberhardt

When you are stuck in the past, you often stay stuck as the person you were back then, many times determined by what others thought of you.  While all of us have been shaped by the events in our past and how we reacted to them, we DO have the power to change those influences.  The key to any experience, good or bad, is what we have learned from it.  When you take the learning and realize what is positive in it, you are able to let go of any residual negative emotions from the experience. While that doesn't change what happened, it changes its meaning.  That is of utmost importance because it opens up opportunities for you to be the person you can really be.    


This week:  Take some time to think about your past. Set aside that time. Think about what has shaped you, good or bad.   Think about each significant experience and what POSITIVE learning you got from it.  It might be something as simple (and profound) as "I survived" or "They did the best they could" or "I did the best I could."  Take a deep breath as you think about the learning.  Bring that learning forward toward the present as you review each significant event.  When you are back to today, imagine bundling all that positive learning into a bundle and shrinking it down to fit into your pocket.  Know that the learning will always be with you.  Notice how you feel.  Do you feel more like yourself?  Or the self you could be? 


Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert at helping people find resources to change their lives in big ways.  She is the creator of the Life Moments Makeover System™, a system for letting go of negative emotions and limiting mindsets quickly and easily.  For more information, go to http://www.InnerResourceCenter.com  .

Why Do You Put Things Off?

"If you put off everything till you're sure of it, 

you'll never get anything done."

~Norman Vincent Peale

Putting things off is often due to perfectionism or uncertainty.  You don't have to be perfect.  You don't have to be sure.  Sometimes you just have to jump and do it, even if you aren't sure of it.  In most situations, you can revise and tweak your results.  Too often we expect ourselves to produce a finished product in our first attempt, and end up not producing anything.  Sometimes you have to let go of the outcome in order to get an outcome at all.

This week:  Be honest with yourself.  Do you end up putting things off because you aren't sure?  What is it you are not sure of?  Yourself?  Your abilities?  Your outcome? The product?  How does delaying it help you?  If you aren't sure, ask yourself "What do I need to do to take the first small step in this?"  Take that step and THEN decide what the next step is.  You don't have to know it all when you begin.  But you have to begin.

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert in helping people achieve goals and overcome their limitations due to mindset and beliefs.  She knows how to get people to take action and to break overwhelming tasks into manageable pieces.  For more information and free resources, 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.