Decision Making

News
I've had many inquires about when I'll be doing another workshop or group coaching session. Due to my work with corporate clients I haven't been able to provide an accurate answer until now.

Well I have great news, the next workshop will be:

What: 2012: A New Beginning
When: Saturday, January 28th 11am-1pm
Where: The Wolfhound Pub, Itaewon www.wolfhoundpub.com
Price*: 15,000 won (if you pay by the 23rd)
30,000 won (if you pay after the 23rd)

Are you feeling like something's missing?
Are you tired of your current situation?
Do you find yourself feeling bored?
Do you wish that you were doing something that you love?

If you answered yes to any of those questions, I strongly suggest you consider attending this workshop.

This workshop will focus on setting and achieving whatever it is you desire. I will also discuss ways to deal with failure, uncertainty, and feeling lost.

I'll be sharing part of my story with you. I went from being completely broke to earning over 10 million won a month in two years. I walked away from that career to pursue my dream.

I'll share with you:
-How I went from being broke to earning over 10 million won a month.
-How I found my passion.
-Why I decided to leave a very comfortable career to pursue my dream.
-What struggles I have faced and lessons I've learned since pursuing my dream three years ago.
-How I handle challenges that seem to come up when you least expect them.

What you can expect to take away from this workshop:
-How to set and achieve any goal that you desire.
-Greater clarity on what you desire.
-How to deal with setbacks and challenges.
-A much deeper understanding of why many people fail to achieve their dreams.

I think another huge benefit of attending an event like this is that you get to meet like-minded people interested in getting more out of life.

As a bonus the first three people that register will get a free 30 minute one-on-one coaching session.

I will be available after the conclusion of the workshop to answer any questions.

*Because the owners of The Wolfhound were gracious enough to allow us to use their space participants should purchase at least one drink or food item.*

To register for the workshop, or if you have any questions, please email me:
bob@oneamazinglife.com

To find out more information on One Amazing Life, please check out: www.oneamazinglife.com

Quote
"Decisiveness is a characteristic of high-performing men and women. Almost any decision is better than no decision at all."
- Brian Tracy

My Thoughts
I believe the ability to make decisions quickly is critical to success. Unfortunately many people lack this skill. I also used to be very slow at making decisions. I wanted to analyze every angle because I thought this would allow me to make a better decision. Of course in the time I spent analyzing someone else would make a decision and the opportunity would go to them. One day I decided I would enhance my decision making skills. I just started decided on small things first and then that naturally progressed into the bigger decisions.

For example:
Friends, coworkers, family often ask: "What do you want for lunch/dinner?". This seems like a very simple question, but often it gets dragged out into a long discussion. I decided that I would just state what first came into my mind. I wasn't really attached to whether we ate that or not, but it allowed me to decide what I felt like eating quickly. I then carried this over to other things like doing the dishes or laundry. If I saw dishes or laundry that needed to be done, I decided to do them. This also had another benefit of getting rid of procrastination.

I've found that their doesn't seem to be much more danger in quick decisions than long drawn out decisions. As a matter of fact, I think that more opportunities lie in quick decisions, and people that are seen as decision makers usually rise to the top in their fields.

So the great news is that if you are lacking in the decision making area you can develop this skill like any other habit.

I encourage you this week to start making quicker decisions.

Have a phenomenal week.

Bob

Why Do We Shout When Angry?

News
I will be conducting a two-hour workshop around the end of this month. More details will follow soon.

Instead of sharing a quote and my thoughts this week, I wanted to share a story I found with you:

Story
A Hindu saint who was visiting river Ganges to take bath found a group of family members on the banks, shouting in anger at each other. He turned to his disciples smiled and asked.

'Why do people shout in anger shout at each other?'

Disciples thought for a while, one of them said, 'Because we lose our calm, we shout.'

'But, why should you shout when the other person is just next to you? You can as well tell him what you have to say in a soft manner.' asked the saint

Disciples gave some other answers but none satisfied the other disciples.
Finally the saint explained, .

'When two people are angry at each other, their hearts distance a lot. To cover that distance they must shout to be able to hear each other. The angrier they are, the stronger they will have to shout to hear each other to cover that great distance.

What happens when two people fall in love? They don't shout at each other but talk softly, Because their hearts are very close. The distance between them is either nonexistent or very small...'

The saint continued, 'When they love each other even more, what happens? They do not speak, only whisper and they get even closer to each other in their love. Finally they even need not whisper, they only look at each other and that's all. That is how close two people are when they love each other.'

He looked at his disciples and said.

'So when you argue do not let your hearts get distant, Do not say words that distance each other more, Or else there will come a day when the distance is so great that you will not find the path to return.'

Have an outstanding week.

Bob

Happy New Year

Happy New Year!

I hope that it is off to a great start.

News
No new updates for this week.

Quote
“Another fresh new year is here . . .
Another year to live!
To banish worry, doubt, and fear,
To love and laugh and give!

This bright new year is given me
To live each day with zest . . .
To daily grow and try to be
My highest and my best!

I have the opportunity
Once more to right some wrongs,
To pray for peace, to plant a tree,
And sing more joyful songs!”
-William Arthur Ward

My Thoughts
I like to spend some time reflecting on New Year's eve or day about the year that has passed and the year that is coming.

What have I learned? Where have I grown? What areas of my life could use some work? What is my intention for this year?

I also take time to forgive myself (or at least try to). Could I grow in more areas, or could I have handled situations differently? Of course.
But it's very important to remember that you did your best at the time. Try to learn the lesson that life is giving and move on, there is no need to constantly beat yourself up over the past.
Similarly, worrying about the future is a futile activity. Generally speaking the vast majority of our fears and worries will never come to pass. And even if some of them do, you can't really do anything about them now.

I set my intention for the year and try to use that as my guidepost. Personally, I like to have an overall intention and set intentions in multiple areas of my life (business, finance, education, etc...) and I use them as guideposts as well.

Remember though, sometimes we get too focused on goals and we lose sight of what's most important. This is why I like to use them as markers and if for some reason I should miss that mark, I evaluate what happened.

I really have learned that life is about the journey not the destination.

I wish you all the best in 2012.

Have an amazing week.

Mind Like a Child

News
No new updates for this week.

Quote
"Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do."
-John Wooden

My Thoughts
When you want to try something new do you think of all the reasons you can't do it? Or do you think of the reasons why you can? Many people tend to think of why something won't work and then usually give up before ever trying. Yet we weren't always this way. Most people when they were younger believed anything was possible.

I'll share a story with you.

Over the past week, I was fortunate enough to work with a lot of children. They were aged between 6-13. I've never really worked with children before so it was a new experience for me. Most of the younger children were so full of energy and enthusiasm. So many of them were smiling and laughing. It was so great to see. They were curious and asked a lot of questions. They freely shared their dreams of wanting to be athletes, astronauts, doctors, lawyers, etc.. and nobody in the room laughed at them. It was beautiful.

We often forget that we were all once like them. We could be anything we wanted. Then somewhere along the way, we ended up becoming conditioned. People start judging us and we start judging others, we may even make fun of their hopes and dreams.

Imagine if you had the fearlessness of a child. Imagine if you had the curiosity of a child. What would you be doing differently?

I encourage everyone this week to try and open your mind. Attempt to experience life as though you were a child.

Have a phenomenal week.

Studying Harder?

News
No new updates for this week.

Instead of a quote and my thoughts I wanted to share a story for you to think about.

Story

A martial arts student went to his teacher and said earnestly, "I am devoted to studying your martial system. How long will it take me to master it." The teacher's reply was casual, "Ten years." Impatiently, the student answered, "But I want to master it faster than that. I will work very hard. I will practice everyday, ten or more hours a day if I have to. How long will it take then?" The teacher thought for a moment, "20 years."

Have an awesome week.

Banishing a Ghost

News
No new updates for this week.

Instead of a quote and my thoughts this week, I wanted to share this Zen story with you. I suggest you spend some time this week pondering it's meaning.

Story
The wife of a man became very sick. On her deathbed, she said to him, "I love you so much! I don't want to leave you, and I don't want you to betray me. Promise that you will not see any other women once I die, or I will come back to haunt you."

For several months after her death, the husband did avoid other women, but then he met someone and fell in love. On the night that they were engaged to be married, the ghost of his former wife appeared to him. She blamed him for not keeping the promise, and every night thereafter she returned to taunt him. The ghost would remind him of everything that transpired between him and his fiancee that day, even to the point of repeating, word for word, their conversations. It upset him so badly that he couldn't sleep at all.

Desperate, he sought the advice of a Zen master who lived near the village. "This is a very clever ghost," the master said upon hearing the man's story. "It is!" replied the man. "She remembers every detail of what I say and do. It knows everything!" The master smiled, "You should admire such a ghost, but I will tell you what to do the next time you see it."

That night the ghost returned. The man responded just as the master had advised. "You are such a wise ghost," the man said, "You know that I can hide nothing from you. If you can answer me one question, I will break off the engagement and remain single for the rest of my life." "Ask your question," the ghost replied. The man scooped up a handful of beans from a large bag on the floor, "Tell me exactly how many beans there are in my hand."

At that moment the ghost disappeared and never returned.

Have an excellent week.

Uncertainty

News
No new updates for this week.

Quote
“I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next.
Delicious Ambiguity.”
-Gilda Radner

My Thoughts
Have you ever tried something over and over again and no matter what you do it doesn't work? It may feel like you are banging your head against the wall. It can happen in any or all areas of your life: relationships, finances, education, work, etc...

Sometimes life doesn't cooperate like we want. It doesn't always work out according to our plan. We think we may have something figured out and life surprises us. I've learned that having a vision of the future with goals is great, but being able to adjust to the flow of life is also essential. I recently have experienced some huge changes in my life which I'll write about in detail sometime in the future.

How can you handle the uncertainties that pop up in life?

I know I've said this before, but meditation. This is what has helped me tremendously. Just sitting there alone with your thoughts and feelings can help you become more aware. Eventually with practice you will be able to become more present. If you are more present you have less fear. With less fear comes more clarity.

It doesn't really matter if you sit for five minutes, ten minutes, or one hour. Especially in the beginning, just spending some time meditating everyday will help you develop it into a habit.

I encourage everyone this week to spend a few minutes each day meditating.

Have an excellent week.