Thursday, June 27, 2013

In The Zone

How do we become completely present in the moment, or as Tony Robbins puts it, “in the flow”. Athletes can do it. In fact, great athletes do it all the time. They block out all distraction and become completely focused on the task at hand. A baseball hitter sees the pitch and that is all. He does not hear the crowd. He does not see the fielders. He is “in the moment”.
A football quarterback sees the receiver and defender and where he wants to throw the ball. At the point of release, he does not see or feel the pressure of the defense surrounding him. He is focused solely on where to put the football. He is “in the zone”.

Being completely present in the moment isn’t only about athletics. Being completely present allows great leaders to see the entire picture through a clear lens and make the right choices. It allows parents to appreciate the experiences from which their children are collecting and learning. It allows YOU to feel like nothing around you matters, because you are concentrating on the present and in your natural state of being.

So what does being “in the moment” or being completely present mean? Does being completely present and in the moment mean that you are in a state of complete focus? Well, yes it does. But maybe a better question to ask yourself is how do I get there? For some people, finding this presence comes easy. For others it can be more difficult. One method of getting yourself to be completely present in the moment is described in the book “Energy Leadership”, by Bruce D. Schneider. In his book, Bruce D. Schneider provides you with his seven levels of energy, which can be used as your guide to get you completely focused on the present moment. Once you master these seven levels of energy, you can choose which type of energy you would like to bring to your situation. When you master all seven levels of energy, you become a master of yourself. You can choose to live “in the moment”.


So which are you? The person who can find their zone easily? Or the person still looking? Either way, refine your skill set, or grow your skill set. Find a coach, study the seven levels of energy, or find your own way to improve your focus on being in the moment. It will increase your confidence, your happiness, and maybe even your golf game!

Enjoy Life.

Coach Randal Suozzo, CPC, ELI-MP


Thursday, June 20, 2013

9 Years of Marriage

I recently celebrated being married to my wonderful wife for nine years. She has taught me a lot and I only hope that she has learned half as much from me as I have from her along our journey together. I find it truly amazing how much I have grown as a person. Not that I thought I knew everything, but I had a lot of confidence before I got married and I liked to think that I already had many things figured out. Deep down inside I knew I really didn’t have as much figured out as I wished I did. So I was lucky enough, and smart enough to understand that there was much that I didn’t already know because it presented me the opportunity to grow.

What I did know was that I would need to be flexible and open-minded in my marriage. That each of us is our own person and even if we had many common values, we came into each other’s life with our own experiences. Therefore, we may not always share the same opinions, but that didn’t make someone right and someone wrong. I have learned that the one who is wrong is the one that insists that they are right. For two people, right and wrong isn’t necessarily black and white. Respecting the other persons beliefs when you don’t agree with them can be difficult to do. But really how difficult is it when the other person is the one you promised to spend the rest of your life with and have built your relationship with, a relationship based on love?

I am happy in my marriage and thankful that I found my bride. My wife teaches me how to be a better person in every sense. In order for marriage to work, you have to be willing to change. Not changing who you truly are, but growing who you are. You have to be willing to change by learning to become better. In my marriage, I have improved upon myself by learning from my wife in areas such as empathy, compassion, kindness, generosity, friendship, and love. We learn from each other.


In my life, I have always tried to take the best of the people closest to me and be the best that I could be. My wife is the closest person in my life. I am grateful that she has so many redeeming qualities from which I can learn. It has been a fulfilling nine years. Both of our parents are close to fifty years in marriage and happy as ever. May my wife and I be as successful in our marriage as they are. There are moments when I like to picture us another 41 years from now, holding hands and smiling at each other with the understanding that we may have started together with different experiences, but have gained so many more together. For now, I plan to enjoy the moment that is and smile because we are loving and growing together.

Enjoy Life.

Coach Randal Suozzo, CPC, ELI-MP

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Superman Is Back!

(I don’t mean me, although I still wish my kids thought I was Superman. Thank you Christi for the costume, but even with it they aren't buying it!)

When I was young, beginning around my early teen years, I decided that the mind is the most powerful thing in the world. I believed that if humans could only learn how to tap into the powers of the mind then we could do so much more. I imagined that we were so close to “super” capabilities through the simple use of our minds. Okay, I was into superheroes big time. (I still am, and I plan to see Superman in the theater as soon as I can!) I also grabbed onto the myth that people use only 10 percent of their brain. Maybe if the 10 percent myth were true, I would still believe that people are capable of super powers. Or maybe I just want to believe.

As I grew older I began to accept that people are just people and that super powers must be left to science fiction and fantasy. The movie “Phenomenon” didn’t help me put my theory to bed. I’m such a sucker for film. They certainly can make me feel that if someone can think it, then someone should be able to do it. That’s stuff of fantasy, right? Just maybe that is why I have a hard time understanding people who DON’T like superhero movies. Where’s your imagination? Can’t you imagine how cool it would be to have these super powers? I think the opinion is that there is no point in imagining something that can’t happen. My answer to that is that if it provides you any kind of positive benefit, then it is worth it. Whether it is a moment of confidence imagining you are Batman, the high that comes with the feeling that you can fly, or the simple smile that comes with thinking you have special capabilities. I think it’s all worth it.

I became a certified professional coach from a school that teaches the power of the mind, or in their words, the power of choice. I lived most of my life thinking that the mind is the most powerful thing in the world. This idea, along with my intuition, made my life so much easier and happier. My conscious mind now understands why it is the most powerful thing in the world. I wake up every day with the knowledge that what I say and do is my choice. I choose to find things to be happy about instead of things I could be sad or angry about. I choose to give myself pause in the heat of the moment so to not react out of anger when a value of mine is crossed, and use that pause to come up with an alternative reaction. I choose to accept those whose opinions differ from mine as simply people with different perspectives and experiences and not view them as wrong. I choose to love and forgive, and live with a smile.

I do not make these choices 100% of the time, but I try. Our choices may not come easy, but with practice we can condition our minds to make the difficult choices that will lead us along a happier path. We have millions of choices every day. Be aware of them. Be aware that our choices represent our behavior and attitude, and help define who we are. Join me in practicing to make better choices for our happier lives, and growing the power of our minds. Become super.

Enjoy Life.

Randal Suozzo, CPC, ELI-MP

P.S. Interested in hearing about what the power of the mind can do for you? Check out this TED Talk by the world’s leading positive psychology expert and bestselling author Shawn Achor entitled, The Happy Secret to Better Work.