I meet a lot of wonderful, experienced, talented souls who tell me they have no dreams and they like their life the way it is.

These kind spirits make a convincing argument of how they have all they need.

But they keep going after more.

They tell me they have become the person they want to be.

But something drives them to take better care of themselves.

They talk about how they are doing all they ever wanted to do.

But they involve themselves in one new project after the next.

So why on the one hand do they say things are fine just the way there are, yet on the other hand they act otherwise?

We’ll save the answer to that question for another time. Instead, I want to let you in on a little secret…

It’s about what these gorgeous souls have in common.

The Perils of Plateau. Beware what lurks in stagnant water.

They all know about the Peril of Plateau.™

When I was a child, I remember how standing water in our garden was a breeding zone for mosquitoes and always spelled trouble. And because I was the one to rack up the most bites, it was my mission to leave no container unturned.

Think of a plateau like that stagnant water. It’s a point where your life is good and you don’t see a need to change anything.

Yet therein lies the danger…

When you reach the plateau and things are fine just the way they are, you might be one step away from stagnation…

And there can be a lot more lurking in there than a few hungry mosquitoes… like stagnating health, where you start to notice things about how your physical or mental condition is deteriorating, stagnating relationships and support structures that either don’t exist or are not being nurtured in the way they could be, stagnating work that feels more like an obligation than a vocation, stagnating wealth that erodes faster than it grows, stagnating use of time that passes all too quickly or not fast enough, stagnating contribution and significance, and so on.

Now let’s get back to those wonderful and talented souls.

Each of them at one stage of life or another, or in one or more of the 7 areas of life, reached points of plateau.

In fact hitting a plateau is something everyone experiences from time to time, regardless of level of success, track record, or positive outlook on life.

But instead of staying at plateau, these gorgeous souls made a choice to keeping growing, stretching, and even challenging themselves.

Why? Because the Peril of Plateau is closely related to what I term the principle of AGAI: Always Grow and Improve. When you do something to always grow and improve, when you focus on your growth, you keep yourself from becoming stagnant.

Life is a great gift. And if stagnation is not death, it’s at least a killer.

This is how instead of being depressed, those in the know spring out of bed in the morning.

Rather than feeling hopeless, they are engaged.

Instead of having doubt, they are confident.

Rather than feeling stuck, they feel full of purpose.

Instead of being cynical or skeptical, they feel happy.

Rather than being indecisive, they enjoy the rewards that result when you take calculated risks.

Instead of feeling overwhelmed, they focus and they change the status quo.

When you are stagnating, not losing any ground yet not moving forward, it can be a challenging and draining experience as one day rolls into the next without you getting measurably closer to accomplishing what is most important to you and this can leave you with that frustrating feeling of being stuck.

Maybe this helped raise your awareness of the symptoms of stagnation and the perils of plateau. And if by now you are asking yourself the BIG question of what do you do to overcome stagnation and what do you do about it?

Then my first suggestion is take a fresh approach to break through your plateau phase and consider coming to join me and a fun small group on a Breakthrough Vacation™ in Tuscany. Not only will you overcome stagnation, you will also recharge from the hustle and bustle, have the time and space to adjust your actions, free and stimulate your creativity, come up with new ways to solve old problems, gain more clarity, have some needed FUN, and the experience will make your life better every way you look it. Learn more at www.BreakthroughVacations.com and hurry because space is limited.

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When I coach people, we eventually get to the question of what is success.

Just like many other words in any language, the meaning of success often is different for different people.

For this to be your best year yet, it helps to get clear on your own meaning of success.

If you feel like your old definition of success not longer cuts it, or even if you could use some more clarity, let me ask you to share your own definition and measure of success right here.

Success: being able to do a cartwheel.

One thing I’ve noticed is that our meaning of success can change along the journey. This has certainly been true for me, and maybe if it has been the case for you too it might even be time for a success makeover.

To kick things off, and perhaps as a springboard, I am going to share the top 10 responses I got at a restaurant when I asked the question “what is success?”

1. Success is the freedom to enjoy life as it should be

2. Success has nothing to do with money, wealth or fame and everything to do with making a difference to people doing what I love every day

3. Success is measured by the positive impact I make on the lives of others

4. Success means creating and maintaining balance in my life

5. Success is being in alignment with my personal integrity

6. Success is a state of mind

7. Success is the ability to look back on my life without regrets knowing I have accomplished all I wanted up to that point

8. Success means being able to spend as much time as I want with my family without having to worry about money

9. Success is my being able to live the life I want to live

10. Success is having raised children who are happy and successful in their own lives.

If we get fifty responses to this post, including yours, we’ll have a special call that will jumpstart your success.

So let’s hear it, what does success mean to you?

Ciao!

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I was fascinated the first time I heard that from the moment they’re born, sharks never stop swimming, even when they are asleep.

What a great metaphor for life: always keep moving… forward. And how similar to my personal philosophy of AGAI: if you want to get the most juice out of it, Always Grow and Improve in all 7 areas of life. Because let’s face it, when we aren’t moving forward, what are we doing?

Benjamin Franklin also observed that continuous growth and learning is a requisite for fulfillment when he said “some people die at 25 and aren’t buried until 75.” Does that seem harsh?

When you stop growing, you stay rooted in the past, the present passes you by, and the future becomes more threatening.

By the way, even if you are moving slowly, it’s okay… so long as you are moving forward.

Always Grow and Improve.

So which of the 7 areas of your life are you focusing on today?

Ciao!

Taylor

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Can you be successful and still feel like a failure? You bet.

But stop beating yourself up about this!

Look, feeling like a failure is just a sign you are a normal human being.

Personally while I don’t find feelings of failure are bad, I do find it helpful to redefine your relationship with the word failure.

And because failure only exists in the context of success, you really need to think about your idea and your own definition of success. In particular, ask yourself whether you buy into our popular culture’s definition of success or if it was ingrained at an early age.

Finally, whenever you feel stuck in life, like you’ve hit a wall or have taken a wrong turn, remember that those feelings often mean a breakthrough lies around the corner.

Ciao!

Taylor

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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, all work no play makes Jane a dull girl.

Chances are you know you need to let go, lighten up, and let some more fun in your life. And maybe you wonder why.

Reason number 1 is because in your competitive and fast-paced world, you have more than enough stress and exhaustion – both of which you see are detrimental to your health physically, emotionally, and mentally. As you let go and have more fun, you de-stress and you are also less cranky.

Second, you’re working so hard for that rainy day. The thing is, at the rate you’re going, when that time comes, your body won’t be in tip top shape, and will be working overtime trying to protect you from disease. If letting go and having fun translates into getting you to laugh more, stress less, enhance your memory, improve your physical appearance and mental health, and live longer, I’d say those are good reasons to have more fun, don’t you think?

Third, having fun can be excellent bonding time. If your family and friends think you’ve been missing in action (MIA), fun can help you maintain relationships and increase intimacy with the people you hold dearest and closest to your heart.

Although you want to stay on top of your game at work and keep up with the demands of life, loosening your grip on the steering wheel of your life to pause and take a break, to see and enjoy what else life has to offer is equally, if not especially, important.

Tennis player Serena Williams, while ranked among the world’s top-performing and highest-paid female athletes, went to school to train as a nail technician. Was it a marketing stunt? That’s beside the point. The fact is Serena shows us she knows it is important to let go and have fun, which she should.

Now I can’t resist taking an informal survey… so tell me, are you having loads of fun in your life, what makes you feel good, happy and alive, and despite what others say about how blondes have more fun, I don’t think the color of your hair has anything to do with how much you can enjoy yourself, so why not include what color is your hair?

Ciao!

Taylor

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In this video I talk about our beliefs and the power they have to influence our behaviors. I also touch on the ideas of limiting beliefs and driving beliefs, that is beliefs which may be limiting us from having or experiencing all we can, and beliefs that drive, therefore explain, certain behaviors we engage in or actions we take that may bring us closer to or move us further away from our goals, often without our even being aware of it.

Feel free to share any of your limiting or driving beliefs from one or more of of the seven areas of life we’ve talked about before (beliefs around Money, Time, Relationships, Health, Emotions, Work or Career, and Spirituality or Greater Contribution) and we can explore this in more depth in another update, OK?

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Earlier this week, my kids and I are chatting happily away when all of a sudden the stroller takes a turn. I nearly bump into a lamp post. The stroller has a bad wheel that is about to give out.

Anyway, as we nearly collide into the post, I notice a hand-made flyer.

Now this street gets plastered with flyers and thankfully someone does a good job removing them. Still this flyer has hung on.

So what makes this flyer stand out, why does it catch my attention?

The simple heading…

“Excellent Nanny.”

Most of the time you just see flyers that say your garden variety, boring old “Nanny Available” or “Housekeeper Available.”

But not this one. Which is why I privately think to myself, way to “go for it” nanny.

It does show a certain confidence of the individual, doesn’t it?

And isn’t it true that you would probably be more interested in someone who says she’s an excellent nanny than you would be in a regular nanny… I mean common, who wants “regular,” right?

So back to being confident… I’m going to assume that this nanny has a lot of self confidence (or at least a healthy does of it), or else, why did she chose to describe herself as an excellent one.

And guess what? Because of her display of self confidence, sometime sooner rather than later this nanny will get what she wants. And some family may discover a not just “excellent,” but a maybe even “extraordinary,” person who will not only help care for their children, but who also will become a part of their family. Not so, unfortunately, for some other nannies who might be too terrified to step out of their comfort zone this way.

Okay… So we both know this isn’t about nannies… it’s about confidence, as in self-confidence (not to be confused with self esteem, which is something totally different).

And let me ask you, how confident are you?

Yes, I know it’s a bit of a trick question. After all, confidence can be relative. Meaning that it is quite normal for us to be more confident in some of the 7 areas of life than in others.

Still, humor me for a moment, and just make a mental note of your answers to this question… how do you see yourself, confidence wise in general? Do you see yourself as a confident person?

Remember, I’m not asking you whether you are excellent or extraordinary, because however you may feel about this, I am here to tell you that you are extraordinary, and you are made of wonder. I’m just asking you about your confidence.

Why? Here are 3 observations from a guy who’s been insecure, been cool as a cucumber, and has seen the awesome effect as well as the destructive consequences that confidence can wield:

* When you improve your confidence, it shows up in all areas of your life,

* With more confidence, we can accomplish things we’ve been too afraid to even think or verbalize, never mind commit to paper, and finally

* Although confidence isn’t something tangible, having it sure can create tangible results in your life.

Sometimes all you need is a boost of it, because just a little more can make all the difference.

The confident nanny says she is excellent. Another one doesn’t and, the price she pays may be her job. What could not being confident enough be costing you?

So again how confident are you, and if it feels like it would help you to gain some more, what exactly would it take to do that?

Or let me know if you’d like to hear more on this and we can get into it further in an upcoming post.

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We all have those times when we feel down in the dumps. Maybe we’re depressed because we hear some bad news. Maybe we are bummed out something doesn’t work out the way we’d hoped. Maybe we’re just upset and disappointed with ourselves.

Even if we’re not emotional wrecks, it’s not a pleasant feeling. And there aren’t many people I know who would want to stay in this state for very long. So when it hits you, how do you lift your mood and embrace happiness?

No doubt how you do it, how you lift your mood, is personal.

To convince yourself how true this is, search for ways to lift your mood or change your spirits online, and you will be flooded with a wide variety of answers, each site going in a completely different direction…

A woman’s fashion magazine might suggest you spruce up your life with new clothes, have fun with girlfriends, or savor a piece of chocolate. A man’s lifestyle magazine might suggest you walk off a funky state with new toys, go for new romance, or change up your fitness routine.

As different as these mood-lifting strategies may be, still, it is probably one of those cases where if the shoe fits, wear it.

Lift your mood

photo credit: rpertiet

And if all else fails, you can always try these favorites:

Socialize: Never underestimate socializing as a form of happiness. While you don’t need to be a social butterfly with everyone you meet, having close friends is a key to happiness. It is human nature to feel happy and content when you have a circle of friends that you can trust and have a receptive audience for your thoughts. If you are starting to feel low in spirits, then run a lifestyle check and make sure you are not isolating yourself from others.

Do good for others: Regardless of your religious or political beliefs, doing good for others will always fulfill a need in you. Realizing that there are things bigger than ourselves, and then being able to contribute something that will help others, is indeed something that must be experienced to be appreciated.

Think positively: Yes, I know that looking at the bright side of things is often easier said than done. While this suggestion can be grossly exaggerated, the fact remains that positive energy always does more good than harm. Just remember positive energy doesn’t have to be dogmatic thinking. For example, you can surround yourself with any form of positive energy from funny movies to happier friends, even with self-affirmation or meditative recordings.

Get out of the past: Thinking about mistakes of the past in an effort to repair your perspective is counter-productive. You can waste most of your life droning on about how unfair the past was, and this will never change what happened. Instead, spend more time living in the now and thinking positively about the future.

So how do you lift your mood? What are your favorite and most effective strategies?

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It’s time for the answer to our most recent quiz.

As you too probably have, since coming up with the quiz, I’ve revisited some of my outcomes. I have also set new ones.

All endeavors, small or large, begin with knowing your desired outcome. A close cousin of your desired outcome is your intention.

Intention is the start of all great things.

Consider your intention as an anticipated outcome.

As in think about some of your own desires and aspirations; these are intentions. Revisit these. And if you are not so clear on them, ask yourself again what are your intentions.

Countless are the times I have come up with intentions and just wished for them to come come true. But no, life teaches us there are no such shortcuts, doesn’t it? …

See, intentions without action are like seeds with no water… nothing comes of one without the other.

If you’re paying attention, that was a clue to the answer to our quiz.

Our dreams and intentions only become reality when we take action toward their achievement.

Still, for many, intentions will remain forever pretensions.

Okay, so let’s go back to our quiz…

My question again was “What are the 2 personality types that most frequently differentiate the accomplished and fulfilled from the daydreamers?”

And here are the 2 types:

In camp #1: People who take action – the “doers,” and in the other camp,

Camp #2: Those who don’t take action.

photo credit: seeveeaar

Individuals who take action are the ones who make things happen. People who take action know that small actions taken are better than great deeds planned. These are the people who are focused on execution, who turn dreams into reality. Whereas those who shrink back from taking action struggle to follow through and therefore don’t make happen whatever it is they might may have aspired to accomplish.

If you see a little of yourself in both types, let me tell you that’s okay and trust me it is normal.

Often enough it’s hard to get my butt in gear. Sometimes we don’t know what action to take and this causes stress.

Personally, I rather do without the stress. And those are times when taking action really comes down to knowing or discovering what motivates you. Because the alternative, doing nothing, while it might provide some temporary relief, will just create more stress. If you are honest with yourself, deep down you know you’ve got this intention, and you’re not taking action toward it.

Remember, action is the ingredient that will breathe life into your dreams and wishes. And think about this… if you changed absolutely nothing in your life, would anything different happen?

Which camp are you in mostly, and what are some of your intentions?

Leave me a comment below and I’ll drop in and respond.

Ciao!

Taylor

P.S. I am oversimplifying a bit. The truth is there we could spend a whole day on intention, outcomes, action, and how to deal with the visible and invisible forces that stand in our way. Interested in learning more? Then you’ll like what’s coming up.

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