Dare to Believe

Dare To Believe

Everybody knows:

You can't be all things to all people.

You can't do all things at once.

You can't do all things equally well.

You can't do all things better than everyone else.

Your humanity is showing just like everyone else's.

So:

You have to find out who you are, and be that.

You have to decide what comes first, and do that.

You have to discover your strengths, and use them.

You have to learn not to compete with others,

Because no one else is in the contest of "being you."

Then:

You will have learned to accept your own uniqueness.

You will have learned to set priorities and make decisions. You will have learned to give yourself the respect that is due.

And yo'll be a most vital mortal.

Dare To Believe:

That you are a wonderful unique person.

That you are a once-in-all history event.

That it's more than a right, it's your duty, to be who you are.

That life is a not a problem to solve, but a gift to cherish.

And you'll be able to stay one up on what used to get you down.

~Author Unknown

What are you beautiful for?

I recently was at a wedding with some very good high school friends whom I do not see much outside of special occasions. The parents of one of these friends dropped by to pick up their kids halfway through the event. I went to say hello along with a few other people and as I spoke to the parents someone next to me made a comment. I turned to these friends and asked what was so funny. They just kept smiling and commented on how I haven’t changed and that I still even sound the same. I loved it, it was music to my ears.
 

On the car ride home I told my wife the story. She asked if that was a good thing or bad thing. Right away I said that it was a good thing, but afterwards started to think more about it. Why wouldn’t it be good thing? I loved the person I was in high school just as much as I love the person I have grown to be now.  In fact, I was more of a leader then. Or was I? I was more of an outgoing leader then, but I am still a leader today. Just without as much of the vocal aspect. I guess my mind got sidetracked a little bit and starting wondering, what is leadership anyway? A nice interpretation of leadership can be taken from Roy Lessin:
 

“Leadership is not a job title, it is a characteristic of life. We lead by our attitude, by our responses to authority, by the words we speak, and by the examples we set. With a vision for the future and a heart for people, leaders can motivate and inspire others into action. A leader is someone who others want to follow; a good leader is someone worth following.”
 

The big question is not if you are a leader, but if you are a leader of your self. Everything always begins with you. If you are a leader of your self, than you know how to lead. And being a leader of your self begins with being happy with yourself. 
 

This brings me back to the question my wife posed to me on the car ride home that night. Was I happy with the comment that I am still the same as people remember me 20 years ago. There’s no doubt in my mind that I am happy about it. Not only I am happy with the person I am and the person I was, I am also happy to think that the two are still one. That I can still be all the things I once was, in addition to all the things I am now.
 

I have traveled through life always trying to take the best in everyone I meet and become a better person. I have learned so many good things from so many good people, and simply tried to put these things into practice in my own life. My story is still being written, and today is yet again another opportunity to improve...to become happier...to add to the collection of beautiful things learned from people I meet along the way…
 

Everyone is different, and beautiful in their own way. There are no exceptions. What could someone take from you? What are you beautiful for?

Enjoy Life.

Coach Randal Suozzo, CPC, ELI-MP

www.coachsuozzo.com

www.facebook.com/PassionDiscoveryCoaching

Each moment you decide who you want to be

“Each moment describes who you are, and gives you the opportunity to decide if that’s who you want to be.” iPEC foundation principle.

Yes. We define ourselves every day. Every moment to be exact. We are the culmination of our actions. Do you know any nice people? Why do you consider them to be “nice people”? It’s because we see them perform acts of kindness. How about people who are not nice? The only difference between the two is a matter of a moment. That moment when people have taken in all the information around them and make a decision on how to act.

Same can be said of people with integrity and those without, or of heroes and cowards. Many times people aren’t thinking of who they want to be in the moment. People are reacting. But what if you could stop yourself for one split second to ask yourself one question that could end up defining who you are?

Let’s say you are studying for an exam and you are exhausted. It is late at night and you want to go to bed. Every moment before this you have succeeded in finishing that homework, of completing that project, but now you are just too tired. Another hour would really make the material stick, but you could probably get by and pass the exam with the effort you have made so far. Instead of closing the books and going to bed, what if you took a moment and asked yourself this question: who do I want to be, right now? Do you want to be the person that just gets by? Or do you want to be the person who is dedicated to finishing all that they have started?

There’s no judgment. You can choose whoever you want to be. As long as you are happy with who you are, then any choice you make is the right one. But if you want more, if you want to be more, then seize the opportunity to decide who you want to be in that moment and make the best of it. Sometimes that moment will be with you for the rest of your life.

Enjoy Life.

Coach Randal Suozzo, CPC, ELI-MP

www.coachsuozzo.com

www.facebook.com/PassionDiscoveryCoaching

How's it feel to want?

I can’t get this title saying out of my head. Every time someone says that they want something I think of my college roommate who would respond to people with this phrase. He thought he was a comedian. When I really think about what he used to say I now think more deeply about one of his patented expressions.

Many people want. The want a new car. They want to win the megabucks. They want to travel the world. They want to quit their jobs. They want this, and they want that. What usually happens when people get what they want? They tend to want more.

It’s okay to want. It is very okay to want. Wanting is a good thing. It allows people to grow. It makes people work harder. Someone who wants more money ought to work harder in order to earn more money. Someone who wants to be a professional singer or athlete needs to work hard in order to get there. Those who work hard and achieve what they want have what many people continually search for, fulfillment. Those who fail to obtain what they want despite their efforts are faced with a dilemma. A dilemma of whether or not to continue put forth that effort, or maybe increase that effort, and to rise again to meet their new challenge. The strongest people in the world are the ones who rise up after get knocked down. They continue to want and don’t give up.

I want. I want my family to be happy and my children to be successful. I provide enough for my children so that they continue to want. Besides not being able to afford to give them everything they wanted, it would not benefit them anyway. It would not allow them to grow strong, or to learn how important it is work hard enough to obtain something they want.

Wanting something more than anything else in the world is very a powerful thing. It helps you determine who you are. It asks you how much you are willing to sacrifice in order to get what it is you want so dearly. Do you give up what you want because it is too hard to obtain, or do you fight harder for what you want? When you want something hard enough and long enough, achieving the reward is beyond comparison. It is definitely better than had you never wanted at all. So in the end, I have to say that while on the surface it may not feel good to want, deep down I know it is a good thing. Wanting creates a challenge.

Never stop growing. Never stop challenging yourself. Never stop wanting.

Enjoy Life.

Coach Randal Suozzo, CPC, ELI-MP

www.coachsuozzo.com

www.facebook.com/PassionDiscoveryCoaching

Can not getting what you want being a good thing too?…

a

Daydreaming

The NFL football season has ended. The sport that draws the most attention here in the United States will put some people into withdrawals now that the Superbowl is over. This year I watched the Superbowl with my family. Well, at least the first half. My wife and I let the kids stay up past their bedtime to watch the first half. My wife and I were not far behind the kids to bed this night. It was nice not to have to stay up and watch the whole game because of the lopsided score this year. Yes, we go to bed earlier than most. 

When I was young, I always marveled at the adults who woke up early in the day. My wrestling coach admitted that he loved waking up at 5 a.m. every day. At the time, I couldn't even imagine waking that early every day. I like to sleep almost as much as the next guy, but I would also rather be awake and enjoying that time. It was hard however, to get myself around to spending more of my time awake and less time asleep. Finally, I had a friend who put things into perspective for me. This was in college when I my classes started at 8 a.m. while my roommates started their business, english, and political science major classes closer to noon. But anyway, they stayed up into the morning hours every night while I tried to hang with them until midnight. I remember finding out that they had stayed up until 6 a.m. one night, then went to class for 11 a.m. How they could manage perplexed me. My friend told me why I should try to stay up later more often. His perspective was simple, "you will get plenty of sleep when you die."

This did little for my rational thinking, but it hit a key note with my imaginary mind. You see, we are all gong to die. It's not pretty, but it's true. We will one day fall asleep forever. So why spend more time than necessary in sleep? We only have so much time, would we rather be dreaming or fulfilling those dreams? My friend helped me to imagine what I could accomplish by being awake more. 

I enjoy my moments of solitude. Morning has become the best time to cash in on that. So I made an effort to become more of a morning person. This allows me to fulfill a desire to have time to myself. To watch the sun come up. To have daydreams I can remember and that can inspire me instead of night dreams I can't always remember or are filled with things of fantasy such as flying.

Losing sleep isn't for everyone. Some people operate on the bare minimum as it is. I am finding it harder to cut back on sleep as I get older. But I still daydream about waking up before everyone and watching, listening, and feeling the peacefulness of a spring morning. The time when the rest of the world is still asleep and I am blessed to be the only one taking it all in. Breathing the cool, fresh air and feeling it fill my lungs. Hearing the birds chirp between the sounds of silence. Watching tiny clouds float past overhead in the vast blue sky. Thinking about how beautiful and wonderful this life is. And daydreaming about how I fit into it.

If you don't do this already, I recommend picking day to wake up early and doing nothing at all except being with your own daydreams; observing the world we live in; and enjoying a moment of solitude. If nothing at all, it sure is relaxing.

Enjoy Life.

Coach Randal Suozzo, CPC, ELI-MP
www.coachsuozzo.com
www.facebook.com/PassionDiscoveryCoaching

Happiness in 2014

“Happiness is in the heart, not in the circumstance.” ~Dove (chocolate).

The year 2013 is over. Did you reach any of your goals you set at the beginning of last year? Did you set any goals? Whether you set goals or not, there were surely things that you wanted to accomplish in 2013. And when you start thinking about the things you want to accomplish in 2014, here are six things you might want to think about...

1. Think about things that are going to make you happy. Will losing weight make you happy? How about getting in better shape? Will doing more for others make you happy? Being happy should be the ultimate goal. Maybe that should be your goal...being happier. (I would love to coach someone who came to me with that goal!)

2. How realistic are the goals you are setting? It's true that in failure we learn. But sometimes it's better if the goals you set are achievable. Try this, dream big but set multiple miniature goals in a sequence that will allow you to reach those dreams once they are achieved. Having a goal of climbing Mount Everest before you even climb your first mountain may be a little too far sighted. Dream of climbing Mount Everest one day, but start with a goal of climbing a few mountains first. It's possible that you may even end up ditching your old goal in favor a new one along the way.

3. Think about how your goals affect those around you. Training to climb the highest mountains may take a lot of time. Will you do it alone? Will you lose time you spend with loved ones to your training? Think about the value of what you want to achieve versus what you may be giving up to reach your goal. 

4. Be excited. There's no point in setting goals if you can't be a little excited about the idea of achieving them. You may even need that excitement at some point along the way. If you want to be able to do 100 pushups, you may want to quit at 50 and getting past it may only happen if you can get excited about your vision of doing 100.

5. Repeat step 1; think about things that are going to make you happy.

6. Be proud of your accomplishments. Achieving goals takes mental strength. You need focus and the strength to keep going during times when you want to stop.

Small goals lead to bigger goals. So start small and don't stop.The end of the year is the beginning of a new year. It's a good time to start setting goals, but when you achieve a goal in April, set another one. Keep the momentum going and enjoy the ride. Remember that Dove chocolate quote, that happiness is not in the circumstance of achieving your goals, it's in you every step of the way.

Enjoy Life.

Coach Randal Suozzo, CPC, ELI-MP
www.coachsuozzo.com
www.facebook.com/Passion DiscoveryCoaching

Be a True Fan

Why do sports fans go so crazy for their teams? Football stadiums can be unbelievably loud with fans supporting the home team. Fans come to the stadium with a passion that they cannot replicate in other areas of their life. Even non-football fans can get caught in the environment of the crowd and start clapping and cheering as loud as they can. Have you ever been in that type of environment? Where everyone around you is screaming at the top of their lungs in support of a sports team? It’s contagious.

Let me tell you a little bit about true fans. Everyone loves to win. Winning feeds the excitement inside you. The more your team wins, the more that excitement stirs and grows into a passion. True fans feel that passion pull them towards watching their team, cheering for them, arguing with friends in defense of their team, and in general support of their team. Some fans can get a little carried away. They can wear the same shirt that hasn’t been washed in weeks or even start fights with fans of other teams. It can be a sickness, but it is a passion nevertheless.

Unfortunately for some, a passion for their sports teams is the only passion they have. So how can there be so much passion for something so unpersonal to people? Sports teams don’t recognize regular fans for their support. Athletes don’t call a fan out by name. True fans don’t care, in fact general acknowledgment of “the fans” from an athlete only fuels their passion further. It’s so simple, yet so mind boggling how there isn’t more passion in other areas of life. Why? How can we replicate our passion for sports teams into passion for what we do everyday? That kind of passion you see in the stadiums where the entire bleachers are shaking, where the sound can be deafening, where strangers embrace in celebration?

Well, in order to find the answer, you need to ask the right question. That is why life coaching has become so successful. Coaches are trained to ask questions. They are also trained to listen, really listen. Good coaches not only listen very well to what is being said, they also listen to what is not being said. Through a series of listening and questioning, they find the right questions to ask. Questions that are often overlooked by the ones searching for those right answers.

A few questions you may ask yourself in your search for passion:

Who are you? How can you live your life in a way that keeps you true to who you really are? What would happen if you lived each day with passion?

Ask better questions. Find something you can be passionate about on a regular basis. Be true to yourself; be a true fan of yourself.

Enjoy Life.

Coach Randal Suozzo, CPC, ELI-MP

www.coachsuozzo.com

www.facebook.com/PassionDiscoveryCoaching