January 2007: Happy New Year from the Beach

Greetings,

Welcome to your fr*ee monthly e-newsletter about living the solution... not the problem!

Written and published by: Dr. Toby Silverton & Dr. Bev McLagan

Sent to subscribers in Canada, U.S., U.K., the Middle East and Asia. Many thanks to everyone who forwards the newsletter on. We grow through your recommendations so please keep up the good work and forward this newsletter to a few friends and colleagues.

In This Issue: Go anywhere in this issue fast by clicking on a topic.

• Personal reflections: A new view means new horizons
• What are we thinking about? Blow your own horn; it’s a New Year
• Building Solutions: Begin to harness your greatness
• Resources – quick links to check out resources
• Contact/unsubscribe info

Personal Reflections

Aloha and Happy New Year! When you receive this issue of Live the Solution we will be safely ensconced on the beach, properly doused in sunblock, promise! In preparation for this trip I tentatively mentioned taking my laptop with me, this idea was received with a resounding “No” (guess Dr. B. has read Learn to Say No, Fast!). I negotiated down to a pen and paper in case I had any brilliant ideas while doing nothing. Otherwise, it’s all been left behind: laptop, cell phone, calendar, ( ok the watch still came, have to make sure to be on time for those massages!) and, last but not least…the old year, the old life.

Admittedly, it’s hard to leave it all behind, both in a small picture and big picture way, that’s why this trip was so important. A new view means new horizons. (If you are curious and want to check out our Hawaii view go to: http://www.ilikaihotel.com). We are both true believers in the power of change, it’s a powerful energy. Change can either sweep us off our feet unprepared or we can harness that energy with amazing results.  

That is what this whole new year is going to be about…harnessing the energy of change and living a new life. Are you on board? Ok, then step one -- believe in yourself.

What are we thinking about?

Are you good at acknowledging your accomplishments? How about your strengths? Are you the added value in your life?

The beginning of a brand new year is a great place to take stock of yourself and your world and start from a place of recognition and gratitude. Forget about those resolutions, we all know they are going by the wayside in about…tick, tick, tick…3 weeks max! It’s time. It’s time to get honest about how great we are! Oh, felt you cringe. We are just not comfortable blowing our own horn but this is the year we are going to change that.

We know why we aren’t comfortable talking about our accomplishments, successes, abilities, capabilities, strengths and greatness. We feel like we are bragging, showing off, being arrogant, or acting over-confident. We’ve been told if we do, other kids won’t like us and we’ll be left sitting alone at recess, umm, I meant coffee break.

So it’s a dilemma. We want others to see us for who we are, we want to be acknowledged for our good work or for being a good person, but if we can’t stand tall and say it out loud how do we expect others to notice? Sometimes you just have to blow your own horn to get attention.  

Now it may not feel like the “real you” at first, but showing others your strengths is as legitimate as showing them your less powerful points (some of you would call those weaknesses). Why should you blow your own horn? It’s a great way of turning “what will they think of me” into “what do I think of me…and what do I want them to know about me”! On a purely practical side, blowing your own horn can bring recognition, validation, influence, money, success and definitely a strong sense of who you are. Now that’s the right direction.

So start the year by taking stock of your value. It’s time to believe you deserve the best, that way you can give your best.

Building solutions

• Presenting your ideas in the best possible light whenever and wherever you can.
• Make a self-promise to show others the most flattering view of yourself at every opportunity.
• Ask a good friend to let you practice on them, start with 10 minutes of just you talking about your strengths, accomplishments, and your value. Return the favour.
• Make a list of your strengths and accomplishments. Set a goal to break through the mental blocks that keep you from sharing them with the world.
• Share the wealth. Blow someone else’s horn, share their strength and accomplishments. Nothing makes us feel better about ourselves than feeling good about others.  

Resources – quick links to check out resources
(Clicking on the red underlined words allows you to instantly purchase all books online, without leaving your chair!)

• Learn to Say No, Fast! (2006) Toby Silverton, PhD. and Bev McLagan, PhD. Talk about the gift that keeps on giving, this one will last you a lifetime.
  http://www.livethesolution.com/products.html

• The Burnout Trap: Bounce Back from Over-Busy, Over-Tired and Overwhelmed! (2005) Toby Silverton, PhD. and Bev McLagan, PhD. http://www.theburnouttrap.com

Remember, it’s all about attitude…it’s all about life!

Happy New Year

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