Solemate: Master the Art of Aloneness & Transform Your Life Workshop
Posted by Lauren - 09/23/10 at 10:09:07 am
October 15-17, 2010
Omega, Rhinebeck, NY
November 26-28, 2010
Kripalu, Lenox, MA
Many people spend years waiting for a “soul mate” to complete them. Others settle for unfulfilling relationships out of fear of being alone. This life-changing workshop lifts the social stigma of aloneness and provides a groundbreaking roadmap for gaining mastery of your own life so you can achieve a sense of wholeness and well-being on your own or in a relationship.
In this powerful weekend with Lauren Mackler, you will learn how to:
Uncover the hidden roots of self-sabotaging behaviors
Become whole and complete on your own
Build a loving, respectful, and caring relationship with yourself
Develop a strong inner and outer support system
Clarify your life vision and strategies to achieve it
Rather than expecting someone else to complete you, Lauren will show you how to become the partner you seek—your own cherished solemate. This workshop is for people who are single, divorced, or seeking greater independence within their partnership.
Lauren Recommends: Muhammad by Deepak Chopra
Posted by Lauren - 09/21/10 at 02:09:50 amMUHAMMAD: A Story of the Last Prophet
At a time when Islam is both the world’s fastest-growing religion and a source of controversy, Deepak Chopra takes us back to the origins of this often misunderstood faith. MUHAMMAD is the latest in Chopra’s series of “teaching novels” depicting the founders of the world’s great religions, which began with his New York Times bestsellers Buddha and Jesus. To order your copy, click here!
Lauren’s Wisdoms: Going Beyond Your Comfort Zone
Posted by Lauren - 09/12/10 at 09:09:15 am
To activate your potential, it’s important to be able to experience new people and new things—and to take risks. Lauren provides three practical keys to help you move beyond your comfort zone, so you’re free to pursue your dreams and goals. To listen click on the link below.
Doing the Work You Were Born to Do
Posted by Lauren - 09/12/10 at 08:09:03 am
Even people fortunate enough to have a job in today’s economy are unhappy at work. According to a recent survey by the Conference Board, less than half of American workers experience job satisfaction—the lowest level recorded by the research group in 22 years.
The drop in workers’ satisfaction is due in part to the worst recession since the 1930s, which has caused more people to accept jobs unsuitable to their skills and experience. But job dissatisfaction has been on the rise for more than two decades—a trend that diminishes people’s quality of life, and can even shorten their lives. Chronic job dissatisfaction increases the risk of burnout, stress, anxiety, and depression—all of which can weaken the immune system and increase susceptibility to illness.
Over the years, I’ve worked with hundreds of clients suffering from job dissatisfaction. Symptoms range from decreased motivation or boredom, to more serious forms like depression, anxiety, headaches, intestinal problems, back pain, or poor job performance leading to termination.
While today’s economy has exacerbated job dissatisfaction, the twenty-two-year decline in workers’ happiness indicates a deeper issue. Many people are unhappy at work because they never learned how to choose a career that’s the right fit with who they are. With over 600 career choices, it’s no wonder that people find choosing a profession overwhelming and stressful. And because they don’t know how to align what they do with their strengths and interests, they often end up in the wrong careers. Perhaps they had an internship that morphed into a job, followed a parent into a family business, chose jobs based on money or others’ expectations, or fell into a career because they didn’t know what else to do.
Below are some questions you can ask yourself to get greater clarity about the career that best leverages your personality, strengths, and passions, and will make going to work a joy, instead of a daily source of dread.
What are my innate qualities? A job that requires you to work against your nature is stressful and painful. For example, if you’re naturally innovative, but your work is concentrated on routine tasks, you’ll feel bored and unfulfilled. Or if you’re people-oriented but you spend your day alone in your office, the lack of human interaction can make you depressed. Everyone has innate personality traits, and it’s important to know your own. A great resource is the MBTI personality assessment, based upon the work of Dr. Carl Jung.
What are my strengths? Strengths are things that you not only do well, but that you also enjoy doing. I have a career coaching client right now who’s a Partner at one of the world’s top consulting firms. Although he’s very successful and skilled in his job, it’s work he disdains and feels desperate to discontinue. To identify your strengths, make a list of every skill and area of expertise you have. Then go through the list and check off each one that you not only do well, but that you also truly enjoy using.
What are my interests? Work that ignites your passions makes your job interesting and exciting. Notice what moves you, what interests you, or what you often daydream about. Maybe you’re always trying to get your friends to recycle. Or you spend all your free time sailing, baking, or building furniture. Or you’re moved to tears by stories about human or animal rights. To start identifying your passions, make a list of 5 things that often capture your attention or invoke strong feelings inside of you.
What contribution do I want to make in the world? Your contribution is the overall impact you’d like to achieve. In my own career, I do a variety of things. I coach individual clients, host a radio show, facilitate workshops, consult to companies, and give keynote presentations. But the underlying contribution in all of these activities is helping people liberate their potential and achieve their goals. To identify your contribution, ask yourself: If I were fearlessly living my ideal life and expressing my full potential, what contribution would I most want to make?
Answering these questions can be challenging, especially if you’ve lived life based on others’ expectations. In this case, you may need to get out and experience new things to get more information about your strengths and interests. Aligning what you do with who you are requires commitment, effort, and perseverance. But the rewards are well worth it. Not only will it enhance the quality of your life, it may even prolong it.
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE, BLOG, OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete statement at the end of the article:
© 2010 Lauren Mackler
Lauren Mackler is a world-renowned coach, host of the LIFE KEYS radio show, and author of the international bestseller, Solemate: Master the Art of Aloneness & Transform Your Life. www.laurenmackler.com
Is Your Inner Child Under the Weather?
Posted by Lauren - 09/09/10 at 07:09:40 am
MANY PEOPLE DON’T TREAT THEMSELVES VERY WELL. They break promises to themselves, eat poorly, don’t get enough sleep, are self-critical, or fail to take good care of their bodies. In fact, if most people treated others the way they treat themselves, they wouldn’t have too many friends!
A great technique for treating yourself better is by developing your Inner Nurturing Parent. Imagine you had a little child in your care. You’d make every effort to keep her healthy and safe; to love and support her; to be forgiving of her mistakes, her inevitable slips; and to let her know how precious and important she is. That’s what a loving parent does. Only, in this case, you’re the parent and the child. Below are seven ways to strengthen your own Inner Nurturing Parent, and turn the goal of treating yourself better into daily, living action.
Send loving messages to yourself. Tell yourself, “I love you and appreciate who you are.” When you do something well, give yourself a pat on the back. Say: “Great job! I’m so proud of you.” When you’re struggling or feeling low, be supportive by saying: “I’m here for you. You’re not alone.”
Take good care of yourself. A loving parent would make sure you eat right and get plenty of rest, sleep, fresh air, and exercise. Keep yourself healthy and fit. Practicing good self-care is an essential part of this process.
Do nice things for yourself. Get into the habit of doing special things for yourself. Make yourself a cup of tea with the nurturing energy that you’d have when preparing tea for someone you love. Visit the sauna, get a massage, or draw yourself a bath filled with special salts. Linger in it and relax. Make yourself a candlelight dinner—a delicious meal in a special setting. Coddle yourself. Treat yourself as a loving parent would treat you.
Set healthy boundaries with others. Let people know what you want and don’t want. Tell them what’s okay for you and what’s not. If you have a friend who’s always late and you end up waiting for her and feeling annoyed, tell her how you feel. A nurturing parent wouldn’t let someone treat you badly. A loving parent makes sure his or her child’s needs are met.
Become your own advocate. If someone is disrespectful or hurtful to you, speak up. Tell them you don’t want to be spoken to that way. If someone was unkind, hostile, or verbally abusive to your child, you’d stand up for him. Protect yourself as a nurturing parent would protect you.
Believe in yourself. A nurturing parent would highlight your uniqueness, tell you how special you are, encourage you to build on your strengths, and support you in a loving, nonjudgmental way. A nurturing parent says: “You can do it.” “I believe in you.” Become your strongest supporter, coach, and cheerleader.
And lastly and most important: Be compassionate with yourself. Have compassion for your humanity and your flaws. You’re human and you’re going to make mistakes. Look at yourself through the eyes of a loving parent; don’t punish or criticize yourself. Reassure yourself. Comfort yourself. Accept yourself unconditionally. And show that same compassion for your own parents and others, because they, too, are human.
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE, BLOG, OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete statement at the end of the article:
© 2010 Lauren Mackler
Lauren Mackler is a world-renowned coach, host of the LIFE KEYS radio show, and author of the international bestseller, Solemate: Master the Art of Aloneness & Transform Your Life. www.laurenmackler.com
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