By Sondra Whitt
Recently, I had the opportunity to watch artist Brian Lipperd demonstrate portrait painting. As he explained why he paints the way he does, he blended art with philosophy and psychology. Lipperd uses a variety of mediums and styles, one of which he calls painting “from his unconscious.” There were two paintings in particular that he used this method to create. One reflected the self-bondage he often feels and the other showed the continuing cycles of death and re-birth we experience throughout our lives. He shared a quote that I really liked from psychiatrist Carl Jung that applied to both paintings, “I am not my past. I am my present and the future that is constantly transforming.”
There’s only one way to deliberately transform our future and that’s by changing the choices we make today. Experts say it takes somewhere between three weeks to three months to form a new habit. Regardless of how long it takes, we can expect stumbling blocks and relapses along the way. It’s difficult to keep from backsliding into our old behaviors no matter how good our intentions. I joined a gym recently and have been going regularly, early in the morning. There are several things I like about the gym that increase the chances of my sticking to the program and make me want to go —it’s conveniently located close to home, it’s for women only and it’s accessible 24/7. I’ve joined gyms in the past and after awhile, stopped going. Like other people, it’s a lot easier for me to stick with something when I actually want to do it. On those days when I don’t want to go, I remind myself that I do want the results and it gives me that little, extra push to get me there.
On the other hand, when I know I need to do something and don’t want to, that’s a different story. Even though I am a professional and personal development coach I’ve learned that I need a coach to help me. The role of coach was once associated with the field of sports but people who want to achieve higher levels of performance in all fields employ coaches like me to help them make positive changes and redefine their lives.
The coaching process holds us accountable for the results we want to achieve. We have an online coaching program that I’m using to help me achieve the results I want. Using my online program, I put my weekly goals into a game plan which is automatically sent to my coach for approval. My coach is responsible for giving me feedback and approving my game plan. Two of the main things we like about the program are that it’s online so it’s accessible 24/7 and the communications between my coach and me are automated. I’d like to offer the same program I’m using to you absolutely free until the end of July. All you need to do to get started is send an email to sondra@172.16.1.103 and I’ll get you set up and serve as your coach. This will give you a little over seven weeks to set you on the path of developing new habits and creating new patterns of behavior to achieve your personal and professional goals.
Our world is rapidly changing. Businesses are failing and people are losing jobs. But there are tremendous opportunities for those who are willing to adapt and change. This isn’t anything new; it’s the history of mankind. As John F. Kennedy said, “Change is the law of life, and those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future.” You can deliberately transform your future by the choices you make today. This is going to require you to develop new habits, new skills and create new patterns of behavior. It’s time to look at your future and put together a game plan to make it a reality.