Taking care of yourself abroad

Most people do not take care of themselves. They think it is selfish and self-indulgent. This could not be further from the truth. My experiences have shown me that when I do take care of myself in the ways that I need to, it is only then that I am truly capable of being of real service to someone else. I have also found this to be especially true when one is away from “home” and from expected support systems. When living abroad there are so many things to be aware of and take care, that it is too easy to forget to take care of oneself. Have you considered how you can take care of yourself in your new environment? Here are some ideas that may work for you. * Voice you feelings. Don't keep them inside you. Share your accomplishments or disappointments with someone you trust. Remember that when you express your feelings, it is then that you can change them. * Do not compare yourself with others. This kind of jealousy causes self-disgust. Do not think others are better than you. If there is someone you admire, use them as a model to improve yourself. * Take time to play. Play is any activity that makes you feel good. You not only deserve it, it is essential to a balanced state of well-being. * Learn to say no. When you become more comfortable with saying no to others you will find that your self-esteem improves. When you then choose to say yes to others, you will want to and you will feel great and energised by your choice. * Exercise. Go for a walk. Ride a bike. Take the stairs. You don't need to go to a fancy gym to break a sweat. There is nothing like some physical activity to help shift yourself from a mood of despair to one of hope. * Remember you are only a human being doing your best . Don't let others put you high up on a pedestal. When this happens they expect you to be perfect and they feel angry and disappointed when you let them down. * Please remember to laugh, laugh at everything, especially at yourself. Try it! It is the cheapest and most effective form of medicine for life. * Practice being an encouraging and kind person. Find 2 people today you can help out in this way. When you do this, you will not only feel amazing, but it will kick up your self-esteem a notch or two. * Take up a hobby. What is one thing you have always wanted to try out? It could be oil painting, learning a foreign language, taking flying lessons ... the list is endless. Creativity helps you unleash a sense of enthusiasm and zest for life. * Put time aside for your spiritual life. Slow down. Practice sitting quietly. When thoughts crop up, acknowledge them but do not pay attention to them. Be still. Be courageous and if a traditional religion has not been helpful for you follow your own spiritual path. Action Plan For The Week As an action plan for the week, how about choosing 3 tips from the list of 10 below? Put them into practice everyday and take note of how it affects your relationships with others. You might just discover that by indulging and taking care of yourself, you are in fact enabling yourself to help others by just being YOU. Quote Of The Week "Live life fully while you're here. Experience everything. Take care of yourself and your friends. Have fun, be crazy, be weird. Go out and screw up! You're going to anyway, so you might as well enjoy the process. Take the opportunity to learn from your mistakes: find the cause of your problem and eliminate it. Don't try to be perfect; just be an excellent example of being human."

Coaching may be for you

Are you looking for someone who will hold you accountable to achieving your goals? Career coaching and mentoring may be what you need to accomplish what you really want in your career. Your friends and family certainly love you and want the best for you, but they can’t always make the time to devote the necessary hours you may need to achieve your objectives and goals. Your friends and family have objectives and goals that they are looking to achieve as well. Coaching is one of the best investments that I have made. Although there are many coaching packages that you can choose with becoming a coaching client, generally speaking, the coach and client usually have a weekly call, which lasts from about 45 to 55 minutes. Email communication is usually included between each coaching call. I have worked with many terrific people who were extremely talented and were over qualified in the position in which they were working. I could only imagine how much happier and productive they would be if they had hired a career coach to work with them. Why should you consider hiring a career coach? 1. You have someone who is focused on your objectives and goals. Your coaching calls are all about you. Your coach will hold you accountable for your actions to achieve your goals. Many career coaches have graduated from CoachU ( coachu) and have been educated and trained on holding clients accountable to achieving their goals. That’s why many coaches offer a free initial consultation. This initial consultation will better determine if you and your potential coach are compatible. There’s nothing wrong if a particular coach and you are not compatible. The same principle applies with other professional services. You may not be compatible with every accountant, lawyer, contractor, plumber, hairdresser, mechanic or web-designer. 2. You have someone who is objective toward you. As mentioned before, you have family and friends that love you and they may think that any work you do is awesome, but you are generally getting a subjective opinion. A coach would be able to objectively prepare you for such events as a job interview, calls from clients, querying an editor, writing a resume and getting better organized. 3. Someday leads to a town of Nowhere How many of us have always said that we wanted to do things such as write a book, start our own business and switch careers? When did you want to start doing those wonderful things? I have done all three by working with a coach! From what I know of myself, I would not have done these things had I not been working with a coach. I might have looked back and thought shoulda, coulda, woulda. I didn’t want to look back years from now and have those regrets. 4. Coaching Can Be A Great Investment Coaching can cost a lot less than many seminars. What is the total amount of money that you have you spent on self-help items, such as books, audiocassettes, CD’s, Videos, DVD’s and seminars? Did you spend hundreds – maybe thousands of dollars? What kind of rate of return did you get on your investment? Did you achieve your objectives after you read that book, listened to that CD, watched that DVD or went to that seminar? The aforementioned items most likely contained great information on how to achieve your goals. But did any of those items personally hold you accountable and ensured that you achieved your goals? Like any other professional service, coaching costs money. Coaches are educated and trained professionals who provide valuable services. If your sink needed fixing and you had no idea how to fix it, would you hire a plumber to fix your sink? Hopefully! A plumber is paid to do something with specific measurable results: fix your sink. If your career needs fixing, what would you do? Coaching goes beyond specific measurable results. Can you put a price on having a career that you love? I have always wanted to become a writer. My coach taught me how to write more effectively to express my point, get the attention of editors, and get my articles published. I cannot put a price on what I have learned by coaching!