betteryourbest

Celebrate the Champagne Moments of 2010!

As a Better Your Best Client you are encouraged to start defining a successful life by identifying your “champagne moments.” These are the moments that could be can in a picture.  A moment that you created in your mind and then had the belief to make come alive. 

December is a great month to pause for reflection on any and all of your champagne moments and celebrate!  A time to reflect on some of the major roles you play in your life: father, entrepreneur, sister, volunteer etc. and identify a moment in 2010 that was special to you.  Consider sharing this champagne moment on the BYB Facebook page, as your inspiring moments could be the encouragement someone else needs to face their fears and go after what they truly want! 

A champagne moment for Better Your Best was acquiring a new private-client site.  The expression “you get out what you put in” holds true for this system.  Clients use it to communicate wins, challenges and their homework.  BYB uses it to connect with clients, share resources as well as tips and tools for all of their adventures!  

Better Your Best is expanding and growing in many directions in 2011!  Stay tuned for a fresh new website, professional one day retreats, workshops for athletes/sports coaches and professional forums/webinars! 

If you know of anyone looking to make 2011 a fantastic year full of amazing achievements please pass on the BYB 20 min complementary coaching session!! Why not invest in coaching to experience for yourself the positive impact it can have on your life, business and wellness.

Here's Wishing you and yours a very Happy Holiday Season; and every "heart’s desire" in the year ahead!

 

Why Better Your Best?

Bettering our best is one of life’s greatest opportunities.  Life coaching supports people to grow in areas that they value.  Coaching supports people to examine many things such as they way they live their lives, conduct their businesses, manage their health and cultivate important relationships. 

Better Your Best is currently exploring new ways to grow and expand.  Social Media: blogs, twitter, facebook, youtube are all powerful mediums that businesses are using to expand to broader audiences.  Better Your Best Coaching recently completed an engaging story telling experience with Narrative Communications.  The next step is to re-vamp our web content and create a plan for our social media tools.  One tool we are currently researching is the use of video to connect with current and future clients.  Here's a look at the first BYB video.  It's not polished and is completely shooting from the hip.  But you gotta start somewhere don't you?  Let me know what you think!! 

 

What are you afraid of?

“Read,” said Sister Margaret.   I was about 7 years old at Catechism and just stared at her as if she had four eyes and didn’t respond.  “It’s nonsense for your child to be learning French when she can’t even read in English!” she later went on to tell my parents.  I was a late bloomer when it came to reading and writing-blame it on French Immersion became my excuse.  It became my story; and I went on to avoid any subjects that required heavy writing. 

I did and do love reading, but loath writing.  There’s structure to follow, there’s grammar and punctuation to know, and then even references to support your ideas...and done, why even bother getting started? 

Starting a business in the information age is challenging my little “I was in French Immersion so I can’t write” story.  Social media, social networking and blogging are all cornerstones to successful marketing and promotion.  Not only does this important business tool challenge my fear of writing, it is also prime breeding ground for any impostor type thoughts bubbling away in my subconscious.    I’m already thinking this bog is garbage so far. But I will persevere!

So what do I know enough about to write about and what makes me think that the French Immersion kid can pull something off that has a point and flows? 

I have many fears. I know about the fear of losing everything, the fear of speaking in front of large groups of people, the fear of writing and the fear of water.  Fear breeds anxiety in every cell of my body.  It turns my stomach into an acidic nausea stew.  It makes my palms sweat, my heart race and my breathing shorten.  I try every technique out there; visualization, belly breathing, exercise. None of it works.  Try again, breath, breath, and then a big long slow breath out.

Breathing does help and then I try to imagine the absolute worst case scenario or outcome.  “Getting kicked in the head in the swim portion of my half Ironman, chocking on water, having to stop turn over and finish the swim on my back.”  Oh yeah by the way I have done that before.  Not in a half Ironman but in a sprint tri in a public pool with about 100 people watching.  I survived.  You know why?  I can handle it.  I know I can float no matter what and I know that shriveling up from embarrassment just doesn’t happen.  It isn’t physically possible. 

Many of my clients have broken through their fear barriers or are just on the brink of jumping.  Knowing that others have succeeded is inspiring and motivating.  What’s your fear and how did you overcome it to achieve a milestone in your life?  At Better Your Best we call these the “Careful what you wish for moments.”  These are the moments where the dream you articulated, the dream that you took the time to get out of your head was realized and those fears were overcome. 

My blog "Play by Your Own Rules" generated a ton of very positive responses and five new clients.  This has taught me two things.  First, people are ready to start considering more meaningful ways of living their lives, but are scared of the unknown.  Second, I need to keep writing.  I need to keep practicing; I need to keep feeling the fear. 

Happy Birthday Grandma Jean!

Grandma Jean turns 97 today.  In her eighties she used to say “I’m 80 odd or 80 even” depending on the year.  Now with a sparkle in her eye she’s quite proud to tell everyone just how old she is.  Whenever I’m asked the question “who’s your biggest mentor” I always answer Grandma Jean.  And so today on her birthday I’ve compiled a list of the 5 great lessons Grandma aka Speed Bump has taught us!

5. Walk everyday!  Grandma never had a driver’s license.  “What would I need that for?  Then all I would have had to do was spend my time chauffeuring my kids around!”

4. Do what you want as long as it doesn’t hurt someone else. 

3. Only pay with credit if you have the cash in your bank account to cover it!  If only the rest of the world had adhered to this principal this past few years!!

2. Losing is alright!  “I love for other people to win!  It puts them in a good mood!”

1. Never stop learning!  Whether it was crosswords, card games, or learning how to use the internet Grandma’s curiosity about everything has never dwindled.  Even today “Carolyn who’s still in the World Cup and what does Fifa stand for?”

Happy Birthday Grandma Jean!!

Play by your own rules...

 

In 2007 I made the decision to start “playing by my own rules.”  Newly married I was faced with a tough decision-leave my safe and secure 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday job and see my husband sporadically or start my dream business and have the flexibility to travel when I wanted to be with my husband. 

 

Good bye safety and security, hello a life of uncertainty!!  When was the last time you had no idea what country you would be in the next week and when you were leaving?  Seriously, think of that for a second.  You don’t know when you are leaving and you don’t know where you are going?  Factors beyond your control will decide your fate.  How does that make you feel?  Annoying, yes.  Scared, yes. Freakin cool, yes!

 

I know I made the right decision, when I find myself cruising on a bike in another country taking in some unbelievable sites, thinking to myself-did I ever think I would be doing hill repeats in the beautiful country side of the Czech Republic?  Did I ever think this is how it would all play out?  The answer is “sort of,” because I know my values, but I never imagined it in this format. 

 

I hate the fast pace of life that so many of my friends and family lead.  Be more, do more, have more.  “Sorry I can’t answer my phone when you call because I’m negotiating a deal, talking to three other people on blackberry messenger all while driving my car with my dog in the trunk waiting for his walk.”  I can feel my stomach turning as I type this!!  I want to scream-it doesn’t have to be that way!  But then I think, maybe they like it that way?  Who am I to judge what they do and don’t like. 

 

I just know that my values and priorities are completely different.  Be the best I can be in mind, body & spirit, have what I need to be healthy and play, grab every opportunity that life has to offer.  I value spontaneity, freedom and being with my husband. 

 

That is how I ended up getting lost on a run last week in the Czech Republic.  Imagine this, 30 minutes in I think “I don’t want to do an out and back, am going to do a loop.  I’ll figure it out.  At 45 minutes winding through small town number two, I’m thinking hmmm, this route is not as obvious as I thought it would be.  Maybe this was a dumb idea.  Rik has no idea where I went, I have no ID, no local currency, no cell phone and I can’t speak A WORD of Czech.  I’m a total idiot.  I always do this; -get myself lost in some foreign country where I can’t speak the language.”  That’s when I say to myself “keep on running, keep on running, keep on running!”  I made my way back and felt like I just PB’d a half marathon.  Seriously two arms up in the air, massive smile on my face as I round the corner and see my hotel.  Then a little giggle and I think to myself “that was freakin cool!!”

 

I feel sometimes that I know a secret that I wish everyone knew.  The secret is this-we all hold the power to make choices and changes in our lives.  I can hear my close friends saying- “we all can’t marry a professional tennis player and travel the world like you do.”  If you wanted to, I could probably hook you up, ha ha, but seriously it comes down to your values and your priorities.  What do YOU want?

 

I’ve learn't a lot about living by my own rules these past 2.5 years.  I toy with the idea of starting a blog writing about my adventures and sharing some of the tips I’ve picked up along the way from where to rent a bike in the Canary Islands, to the best way to run your virtual business.  But then who wants one more thing to manage in their lives and really it’s kind of narcissistic.  “Hey, read about all the cool things I get to do while you have to sit in your cubicle and get yelled at about something that is completely out of your control.” Really I just want people to fundamentally know that they have the freedom to actually call the shots in their own lives.  You don’t need to have 10 million in the bank, you don’t need to wait till your children get to a certain age, you don’t need to marry a tennis player, you just have to want it badly enough and start making some of the decisions and choices required to make what you want happen. 

 

If you are looking for a good kick in the pants with some solid “how to tips” read this book “The Four Hour Work Week” by Tim Ferriss.  I downloaded the audio version on this last trip and I love his no nonsense practical approach for living the life that you want.  I don’t love the “I’m the best at this and that and this” but hey his point is you can do things you probably never thought of because you don’t know how to play the game. 

 

Read the book and then give me a call to figure out what your best game looks like and start playing by your own rules!

Key Sports Philosophies for Best Businesses

You only have to look to America’s favourite coach, John Wooden, to see that bringing sport philosophy into the business world is a popular practice. Vision, leadership, goals, team cohesion, and the pursuit of excellence all play key roles in the success of business. 

As an executive, the first thing I do when scanning a potential new candidate’s resume is to examine what sports and activities they pursue. I do this for two reasons: first of all, I can find common ground with this candidate, and second of all, I can identify if they are able to speak the language that sport teaches us. 

The language of sport isn’t a new language, yet right now there are a lot of business guru’s regurgitating the basis of this philosophy and putting a modern spin on it. They realize that this language speaks directly to people and is easy to connect with. In order to understand the key principles behind this language, Better Your Best Coaching introduces you to Key Sports Philosophies for Best Businesses to help your business grow and to remove all of the confusion and clutter that is associated with this philosophy.

1)   Have a plan and write it down!

Know what you want.

Choose your team.

Set your goals.

Know your obstacles.

Follow up & follow through.

Celebrate-even the smallest victories!

2)   What you put in, you get out

Manage energy not time.

Your health & wellness is the foundation to your success.

Focus on your strengths, don’t ignore your weaknesses.

3)   Crashing is good!

Learn from your mistakes.

4)   Be a Professional

Come prepared & ready to play.

Bring the energy you want from those around you.

Always do your best.

Leave your luggage at the door.

5)   You gotta be good to be lucky and you gotta be lucky to be good!

Good luck is when opportunity meets preparation.

For those of you that consider yourself a competitor, this might not be new information. But what you might not realize is that you can incorporate these philosophies into your daily practices and transform your business using the tools you already have.

Here are some key questions to ask yourself:

Do you have a business/life game plan?

On a scale of 1-10 how healthy are you? 

What mistakes are the easiest to sweep under the rug and ignore?

How do I sharpen my skills every day/month/year to be the best professional in the business?

When was the last time you got lucky...in business or in life?

“Can you please send me your champagne goals for 2010?”

I feel like I’ve repeated that about 100 times in the past few weeks.  It’s bringing me back to my drill sergeant personality from my personal training days; when it suddenly occurred to me.  “Have I even done my champagne goals for 2010?”  The answer is no I haven’t completely.  I mean I have scrap pieces of paper brainstorming different ideas, I have note books with to do lists and I have a journal somewhere on my computer but I have yet to totally do my own 2010 goals.  So I just started them but was then inspired me to write this blog...ahh shiny objects! 

Before looking at where you are going in 2010 it’s important to look at where you have been.  We all know this but like our goals-have you done it?  2009 has been a challenging year for many people-myself included.  Whether it is the environment, the economy or just the sad social status of the world 2009 was tough.  It has me asking some big questions.  Is private industry going to re-define success?  What is going to be our next major energy source?  Will religion ever be lived and practiced the way it was authentically intended?  Will the earth somehow find a way to heal itself? How will the emergence of more women as leaders in the 21^st century impact all of this?  Will Tiger & Elin be able to reconcile their marriage?  Only kidding, but I do hope that they will shine again soon. These are pretty big questions and the weight of them can be quite heavy. 

When I feel this heaviness I automatically try and bring things back to their basic positive form.  What have been my champagne moments for 2009?  When have I felt most alive or in the zone?  Here’s what I came up with in no particular order.

1.    Having Apres with my brothers and their kids after a day of all of them learning to ski on Grouse.

2.    Watching my nieces learn how to ride their bikes in the Seymour Demonstration Forsest.

3.    Gabby my niece grabbing my face with both hands and whispering so I barely heard “amo tia.”

4.    The African Safari with amazing family and friends and sun downers.

5.    Seeing Chad W. in London, hugging Chad extra long and hard after my birthday dinner, watching Megan honor him like no one else could. 

6.    Doing a 12km trail run with some good friends at the last minute; what was I thinking.

7.    All of my Better Your Best moments: facilitating an inspiring workshop at Wimbledon, clients getting their dream jobs, running the business from all over the world.

8.    Paris with the “de Voest” ladies!

9.    Securing my dream house after a very competitive offer.

10.   Watching Rik crack the biggest grin after catching a wave while Surfing in Ucluelet in November; not knowing that I was watching him.

As I get going I realise I could go on and on.  What reflecting on this has taught me is that my best life is defined by my relationships, my experiences and my contributions.  I’m going to approach 2010 by continuing to better all of these.  Remembering these moments and my core values will help guide me in establishing my goals and in my decision making.  Although at times it might not seem like I’m making much of a dent on the bigger challenges the world is facing; maybe by being the best person I can be with goals that honor my relationships, experiences and contributions in a tiny way I will make a difference?  Clients get me your goals!!!

What do the best coaches focus on in order to develop top athletes?

 Developing a professional coaching philosophy is instrumental in the development of your athletes.  What are your values, what are your expectations and what are your goals?  Much like a business establishes a clear mission and strategic plan, coaches need to communicate to their athletes how best they are going to work together and what is expected in order to develop a successful coaching relationship.

At a recent meeting of ATP coaches at the French Open the following question was raised “which tangibles/intangibles do great coaches focus on?”  Tangibles focuses are clear to understand and easily measured. They are things like: physical fitness, technical skill, tactical ability.  Intangibles are less concrete but equally as important in developing a whole athlete.  They are things like: desire, motivation, positive adversity. 

Basketball coaching great John Wooden identified his list as “The Pyramid of Success.”  “In clear terms, it shows what he expected of them and what they could expect from him.  As a teacher, success was his subject; the Pyramid of Success was his textbook.” (John Wooden & Steve Jamison).  

Take a moment to identify the following:

1)      What is your coaching philosophy?  What are your coaching values, goals?

2)      What is your pyramid of success?

3)      How do you communicate this to your athletes? 

4)      What opportunities can you as a coach create to deepen your athletes learning around some of the intangibles of life: hard work, focus, patience?

5)      How often to you establish goals with your athletes and how often do you review them and celebrate their accomplishments?  Do you practice what you preach?

Leading by example and focusing on your core tangibles and intangibles when coaching will teach your athletes the tools that will set them up to manage adversity and achieve success not only in their sport but in their personal lives. 

How are you going to participate in the Olympics?

If you are like me you haven’t given this question to much thought.  In fact the only real thoughts I’ve been having about the Olympics are should I stay or should I go?  For someone who is crazy passionate about sports this seems like a ridiculous question.  Of course I should stay and of course I should get involved. 

 

Nothing inspired me more to get into action then a recent workshop I participated in called the “2010 Business Opportunities Workshop” hosted by BC Government.  It was very interesting to hear exactly where they are at in the planning stages and how the events are going to unfold.  There seems to be many ways local small businesses can capitalize on the demand from this event and in today's economy carving out opportunities is the name of the game. 

 

“If you’re interested in better connecting your business for 2010, consider becoming a member of the 2010 Business Network, a free, searchable, online supplier database created to ensure 2010 buyers are able to find BC businesses -- giving them quick and easy access to relevant suppliers without going to a formal bid process.” 

 

As Vancouverites there are many ways we can get involved on an individual basis.  The VANOC websites gives lots of links to ways you can volunteer, host visitors, participate in community activities, and purchase tickets. 

 

Having had the fortune to experience sporting events around the world I highly encourage you to embrace this opportunity to open your doors and welcome our visitors.  At a time when the world feels like it is becoming increasingly unstable the Olympics is a reminder of the role sport brings in bringing neighbors together! 

 

Inspire me with your stories of how you are already planning on getting involved!  

Who’s coaching you?

    A dream is to fulfill one’s deepest desire. The dream for coaches of professional athletes is to see them win.  For some it may be the Olympics; for a tennis player the ultimate prize is a championship at Wimbledon. The question is how does one get there?

Sports coaches have the unique ability to impact lives and to make dreams a reality.  Some coaches have tasted this success on their own and wish to share it with others. Others have only dreamt of this success for themselves, but strive to support those more talented to achieve their goals.  

Coaches love to teach athletes with heart, desire, fight and most importantly the motivation to improve and excel.  However, in order to be successful, coaches need to be able to help their athletes to achieve success on many fronts: emotionally, physically and technically.  Knowing how to coach an athlete to success in itself a carefully learned art.

The question remains though, how does a coach go from good to great?  Often it is their athletes that challenge them to be the best in the game.  At the top coaching levels coaching is less about teaching and more about facilitating success. 

The answer really is that like an athlete, great coaches never stop practicing and continuing to learn how to be better.  In his latest bestselling book, The Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell argues that it takes 10 000 hours for one to become master their passion whether it be sport, art or science.  If this is true, this theory could then be applied to coaches as well.   

Preparation for success in coaching mirrors that of an athletes’, coaches must challenge themselves to learn more, practice more and consistently evaluate their own performance.

Great coaches:

·        Ask questions and listen

·        Read all types of materials including biographies

·        Observe matches, players and other coaches

·        Work with executive coaches

·        Never stop learning

Executive coaching is an excellent tool that coaches can use to become the best that they can be. “Coaching is recognized in business, in teaching, and in sports as a positive and empowering strategy for performance and leadership development.” (Witherspoon & White 1997). An executive coach works with their clients to determine what they want, who they are and then develop a strategic plan for navigating through the obstacles along the way.

Your executive coach might ask you questions like: What is your coaching philosophy?  What are your professional values?  What special coaching tools do you have to help unlock the success of your athletes?   They may seem like simple questions, however, very few people actually think about them. Executive coaching opens the door to dialogue that you may already intuitively know about yourself, but have never actually spoken out loud or written down. Every single person holds the key to their own success; a good coach helps them to unlock it.

What are you doing to become a masterful coach?                                               

 

“Only one life that soon has past. Only what’s done with love will last.”

This is a version of a poem I recently came across.  It’s a great reminder for this time of the year; New Years.  Today is a great opportunity to look back on your previous year and celebrate your successes and milestones.  How quickly we can forget all of the wonderful memories we have accumulated in the past 12 months.  Take a moment now to reflect on your transformations and accomplishments.  What are you most proud of; what was done with love? 

Looking forward to 2009 what are you most excited for?  Do you set goals?  Do you have New Years resolutions?  How do you feel about these tools; are they effective for you?  There has been plenty of writing out there indicating their value (The Secret, The Law of Attraction etc.) but how can you make the process meaningful to you?  Your challenge for this month is to think of a creative way you can articulate your goals and dreams for 2009. 

Below are a few suggestions:

Mind Map
Letter to You dated December 31^st 2009
Collage

Contact me today to set up your personal discovery session
and explore how you can make 2009 your “best” year yet!!