The 5th and final step in our series on moving from Goals to Abundant Declarations is the conscious pattern of Personal Responsibility.  In my book, Coaching Into Greatness, I define Personal Responsibility as releasing blame and vicitmization to become fully responsible for your life.

It's no mistake that this conscious pattern is one of three that makes up the Abundance Aptitude of Surrender.  Taking Personal Responsibility is as much about what you let go of as it is about what you hold onto and claim as your own. 

Goals are a source of scarcity when you find yourself playing the Contingency Game.  For example, one of my clients had a big dream of moving his business out of the basement of his home and into an office park.  He told himself for over a year that he couldn't accomplish this until he had x number of clients, and he couldn't reach that number of clients because he was a solo-preneur and was working as hard as he could.  He needed office support, but he told himself he couldn't hire anyone until he got office space because it wasn't professional to have staff working out of his basement. 

Kinda' like a dog chasing after it's tail.

Of course my client was wise not to jump into space he couldn't afford.  I'm not saying he should have gotten in over his head.  But his inability to see how he was stuck in the contingency of "If . . . then" kept him from taking Personal Responsibility for what he could control, moving forward and reaching his goals. He was blaming his present circumstances for his future failures, all the while forgetting that he was in control of his business, he made the decisions.

Eventually, through our coaching, the solo-preneur hired part time help which freed him up to work more on the business than in it.  He was able to spend more time selling and aquiring new clients, which increased his revenues and enabled him to move into an office space.

Is Contingency causing you to avoid taking Personal Responsibility?

Posted by Kim George at 10:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The 4th step in moving from Goals to Abundant Declarations is Engagement.  Engagement, as I discuss in my book, Coaching Into Greatness, is hope manifested into action.  I want that to sink in.  Hope manifested into action.

When hope doesn't work, it becomes an illusion.  The Illusion of Hope is all about waiting for other people or events to change our circumstances so we don't have to.  We don't want to make the difficult decisions, do the work, or show up.  Showing up is scary business.  This is another powerful reason so many goals never get met and get recycled or dropped all together. We often pick goals that are all too familiar--too comfortable, too safe.  We even pick goals that are unrealistic, knowing full well, deep down inside, that we're not going to give 100% to reaching them, so it ensures that we keep doing what we've always been doing.

And we keep holding onto those "unattainable" goals.  They sound good.  They might even be impressive.  But they aren't real.

Abundant Declarations are real because they are intimately connected to who you are, where you're at, and the big picture of your life.  Engagement plays a huge role in this big picture of life.  When we're engaged, we have a visualization of where we're going, what the end result is, and the final destination.

But we don't let the destination cause us to miss out on the journey to getting there.

People who are engaged understand that the journey is more important than the destination, that the twists and turns on the road of life are actually the landmarks, the guideposts, the beautiful wildflowers and scenic views that matter most.

Engagement is about loving life and living it every day, not just at the end of the road.  The road is life.  If we pay attention, we might just love it as much as what we think is coming at the end.

Are you engaged or are you putting in time?

Posted by Kim George at 09:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

All this month I've been blogging about how goals can actually be a source of scarcity thinking.  I offer 5 steps to turning this around by creating Abundant Declarations.  I've already discussed the first 2 steps - Capacity and Internal Drivers.  Step 3 is Stepping Back.

In my book, Coaching Into Greatness, I define Stepping Back as the ability to see what is and respond accordingly, instead of reacting based on judgments and presumptions.  Stepping Back feels like insanity to most business people.  There's already too much to do and not enough time to do it and you want me stop?!

Actually, no.  Stepping Back is not stopping.  Stepping Back is more about downshifting, slowing down long enough to take a breather and look around -- to actually pay attention and observe situations.  Becoming the observer is a powerful concept. Many of you who meditate know what I'm talking about.  When we become the observer, we gain the ability to take notice, to capture the nuances of a situation as well as the big picture.  We see ourselves and how we're being in a situation.  Observing, or Stepping Back, allows us to gain perspective and respond, rather than have a knee-jerk reaction to our business in our life.

When people don't utilize this conscious pattern, they tend to hold onto goals year after year.  They have a love affair with their goals, but this isn't like Officer and a Gentleman, it's more like Fatal Attraction!  When we don't step back from time to time and gain perspective on where we are and what we're doing (or not doing) we risk becoming attached to goals that don't serve us, that no longer hold value for us, and that we're no longer inspired to implement.

Abundant Declarations are all about continually evaluating and adjusting your course.  This is related to the 4th step I'll blog about next -- that the path or the journey is more important than the destination.  You know you have a powerful Declaration when you allow life to unfold through you, and you can take the time to step back, look around, and open yourself to possibilities.  There are opportunities coming to us every day -- most of the time we're just too busy, distracted, or tired to see them.

One of my favorite quotes is from Lily Tomlin, who said, "The problem with the rat race is that even if you win, you're still a rat."

Are you running a race at break-neck speed?  How could you benefit from Stepping Back?

Posted by Kim George at 09:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As some of my readers know, I am the Pioneer Coach for the Social Capital & Networking community where I lead classes with Dr. Ivan Misner of BNI and Soni Pitts, my assistant community coach. This past week I led a Networking  Fearbuster call on the concept of Abundant Networking.

In this call, I explored how the 7 illusions of scarcity from my upcoming book parallel common fears people have with networking.  Here's an example:

"I don't have anything interesting to say."  This is a great example of someone who is stuck in the Illusion of Not Enough.  Have you ever had this thought run around in your mind before a networking event?  It points to disconnection with greatness, with who you are.  We fear that who we are isn't enough - smart enough, appealing enough - to engage others in conversation.  It's as if we need to jump somersaults and speak 10 languages to be compelling enough for people to actually talk to us.

When I discussed this on the call, Dr. Misner chimed in with an excellent suggestion.  If talking about yourself makes you nervous, all the more reason to focus on the other person.  Use who, what, how, and why questions to draw the person out.  Actively listen with curiosity and interest.  Be interested and in doing so, you will be interesting.

But of course, you already know, deep down inside that you are interesting. It's a matter of getting out there and doing what you CAN do, and being yourself in the process.

In February and March, I'm going to be leading a complimentary 4 part teleclass series on The Abundant Networker.  I'd love to have you join me.  To find out more and register, click here.

Posted by Kim George at 09:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The second step to moving from Goals to Abundant Declarations is to embrace the concept of Internal Drivers.  In my book, Coaching Into Greatness, I define Internal Drivers as beliefs, thoughts, and attitudes that are of your design and making.

Notice the second half of the definition--of your design and making.  This is key.  Goals that fail tend to be created as a result of External Drivers, which are sources outside yourself like people, circumstances and events that you believe you are dependent on.

Another way to identify goals that are based on External Drivers is to look for the word "should".  I should go to that event because everyone will be there.  I should lose 10 more pounds because Jane is thinner than I am.  I should invest in x company because everyone else is.

Now remember, I'm not saying as a business owner not to pay attention to what your competition is doing.  I'm not saying as a networker not to pay attention to the best attended events.  What I am saying is this - External Drivers become a source of scarcity in your life when they cause you to be untrue to yourself, when you do things you don't want to do or are against your values, when you act like anybody but yourself.

Declarations focus on Internal Drivers to connect with your vision, your passion, your values and standards.  Internal Drivers are like a "lite brite" for your soul.  They connect the dots to make the beautiful picture of who you are.  Now it's your turn to light things up by living into your greatness.

What does your "lite brite" look like?

Posted by Kim George at 09:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you find yourself recycling the same old goals year after year and feeling stuck, try Declarations on for size.  The first step to moving from a goal to an abundant declaration is Capacity.

In my book, Coaching Into Greatness, I define Capacity as the belief that you already have within you all that you want, need, and choose.  People with a high Abundance Intelligence (AQ) embrace this concept.  Capacity is a conscious pattern found in the Abundance Aptitude of Self-Worth. Instead of looking at yourself as less than perfect, flawed, or needing to be fixed, you see your capacity for greatness.  When you were born, you were born with a DNA of Greatness.  Your life is a process of living into that greatness.

When goal's fail, it is because of the focus on becoming something.  Capacity says you already are that person.  You may not be actualized yet, but that capacity for who you think you should become is already there.  People spend their entire lives in a pursuit to become someone, when what they really are is more than enough if they would recognize and live into it.

Declarations declare to the world that you already are your goal.  I can hear you come back with the classic objection to this idea of Capacity.  "But how can I be great?  I don't have the job I want, the degree, the relationship, the house . . ." and on and on and on.

Capacity is not just the recognition that you are standing on top of a treasure chest of gold.  It is owning that you are the treasure chest. The gold is inside you, waiting to be invested.

Carole Zimmerman, one of the AQ Pioneers, likened the idea of Capacity to the capacity of our brain.  It is said that we only utilize at most 10% of our brain's capacity.  Does that mean that the other 90% doesn't exist because we fail to use it? This is exactly the same concept with our greatness.

What % of your Greatness Capacity are you utilizing?

Posted by Kim George at 09:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In this week's call, From Illusion to Doing What You Can Do, we explored the Top 5 Secrets to Setting and Keeping Abundant Goals.  In the upcoming weeks, I will blog about each of the 5 Secrets.

Earlier this month, I blogged about how goals are often feeders to our illusions--especially when they are vague, comfortable, unrealistic, and inherited.  In this way, your goals are like having a pile of unlit matches lying around, with no catalyst to set them afire. 

Dormant greatness. 

Missed opportunity. 

If you find your goals have one or more of the elements I just mentioned, I suggest reframing your approach and making a shift to Declarations.

Declarations are public promises put into action.  In my book Coaching Into Greatness, I provide a 3 step formula for designing the ultimate declaration.  Declarations differ from affirmations in that there is an equal balance between declaring your greatness (I am a bestselling author . . .) owning your greatness, living your greatness by doing what you can do, and then letting go to allow life to unfold through you.

Here's the key to understanding the difference between Goals and Declarations:  goals are things to strive for, to become, to achieve.  Declarations embrace what you already have, to live into who you already are.  I will explore this in depth in my next post in this mini-series.

What do you want to declare today?

Posted by Kim George at 10:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This month I purchased a set of Well-Being cards based on the work of Abraham-Hicks. I highly recommend their materials and books for anyone interested in learning more about one particular area of Abundance - the Law of Attraction.

The idea with these cards is to pick one randomly whenever you are looking for reflection or inspiration.  Here's the card I picked this morning:

"It is not my responsibility to convince anyone of anything."

This is a profound statement and directly related to the conscious pattern of Personal Responsibility.  In my upcoming book, Coaching Into Greatness, I define Personal Responsibility as "releasing blame and victimization to become fully responsible for your life."  We usually think of blame as outward directed, but how often do we blame ourselves when something doesn't go the way we planned or someone reacts differently than we intended?

The Illusion of Control occurs when our happiness depends on the actions or behaviors of someone matching up with the way we think they should act. The reality is that none of us can control anyone but ourselves.  And yet, a large part of our lives can be whittled away in the frenzied pursuit of making ourselves right.

What are you taking on that is preventing you from living into your greatness?

Posted by Kim George at 08:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The following is a great story from my friend Neil Tepper, author of Open Your I's: 10 Steps to Unleashing Your Inner Creative Power.  

 When I first went out on my own –- after more than fifteen years in the corporate arena, where I was accountable to someone else for my time and productivity -- I performed numerous marketing tasks in order to drum up consulting projects and other work. I made phone calls, took meetings, made more phone calls, sent out letters and resumes, attended networking events and took more meetings. I did whatever I could think of to let the world know that I was open for business. As every independent businessperson knows, attracting clients is a full-time job in itself.

It was difficult for me, at first. My phone didn’t ring off the hook like it did when I was the client. But, although I was surprised at the scant response to my efforts, I wasn’t overly concerned because I knew that my rigorous work ethic would keep me pushing and pitching. I know that about myself. I know that I am relentless and indefatigable when pursuing a goal. And my goal then was to make it as a successful entrepreneur. I believed that by keeping the pressure on myself, it would be just a matter of time until the door swung wide with clients and cash flow.

One day (I think it was a Wednesday) during this intense period, I “caught myself” lying on my sofa reading a novel. Well, I was aghast. On a weekday afternoon? On my sofa? Reading something for . . . pleasure?! I actually looked around to see if anyone was watching. Then I felt this gloom of guilt descend on me and I heard a voice deep within somewhere lecture myself about how unproductive I was being and how lazy I was. My inner dictator demanded that I needed to be making more phone calls, doing this, doing that, to make something happen. Reading for pleasure? Are you crazy? I’m going to tell your boss . . . or your mother!

Well, a funny thing did happen. Just as I was ready to surrender to that voice and flog myself into submitting to make twenty more phone calls, I heard another voice. It was calm and quiet. It said, “It’s okay, I’m exploring the poetry of my life, not the industry of my life.” And, I immediately felt an ease come over me.

This story speaks so well to the conditioned pattern of Rushing.  Evidence of the Illusion of Time, Rushing is characterized by the belief that there is a scarcity of time and opportunity, causing people to focus on what they think they should do, instead of what they CAN do.

Is the blur of life causing you to rush through the poetry of life?

Posted by Kim George at 10:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I just finished reading, "Everything Happens for a Reason" by Mira Kirshenbaum.  The big idea of this book is that the meaning of an event in your life doesn't come from the event.  It comes from you and the lessons you're needing to learn. 

As Mira writes, "The good that comes out of the bad things that happen to you is to help you become your best, most authentic self."

Here are the ten reasons Mira has identified for why things happen in our lives:

1. To help you feel at home in the world
2. To help you totally accept yourself
3. To show you that you can let go of fear
4. To bring you to the place where you can feel forgiveness
5. To help you uncover your true hidden talents
6. To give you what you need to find true love
7. To help you discover the play in life
8. To show you how to live with a sense of misison
9. To help you become a truly good person

This list was very thought provoking to me.  I look back on the loss of my mother at a young age, and I can definitely find meaning in # 3, #8, and # 9.  There's also an interesting parallel to a distinction that I draw in Coaching Into Greatness -- what happens to you vs. what happens.  Both Mira and myself are essentially saying the same thing - that how you view an event in your life determines whether it will help you live into your greatness.  Finding meaning gives us purpose and an abundant path.

What is the thread of purpose running through the events in your life?

Posted by Kim George at 09:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

From Illusion to Doing What You CAN Do:
The Top 5 Secrets to Setting (And Keeping!) Abundant Goals

Thursday, January 19th, 7pm eastern

Just like struggle, goals are strictly overrated!  Join us this week to check in on your goals. Find out what illusions are keeping you stuck and limiting your greatness. Kim will share 5 key strategies on moving from Illusionary Goals to Abundant Declarations.  Learn how the concepts of Capacity, Internal Drivers, Stepping Back, Engagement, and Personal Responsibility are the essential elements in getting what you want.

To register, send an email here.

Posted by Kim George at 08:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

My good friend and web goddess, Shari Horne, (who is designing the soon-to-be-unveiled Coaching Into Greatness site), recently mentioned a new site to me.  As I learned more about the organization, I became more and more fascinated with their approach to eradicating poverty.

Kiva's slogan is "loans that save lives" and that is exactly what this organization does.  Kiva's website provides snapshots of budding entrepreneurs in rural regions of Africa.  These people aren't looking for a hand out, they're looking for a loan -- a loan to purchase goats, start a brick making shop, sell used clothing, or purchase and sell livestock.  A microloan as small as $25 can mean the difference between a life of poverty and a life of abundance for these people, most of whom live on $2 a day!  By partnering with existing microfinance organizations, Kiva ensures that 100% of the loan goes directly to the entrepreneur and doesn't get locked up in administrative fees.  The entrepreneurs are monitored closely, updates on their progress sent to the lenders, and magic happens. 

Kiva's philosophy is a powerful example of Abundance Intelligence.  In particular, this organization reflects the conscious pattern of Personal Responsibility.  By giving people in poverty the means to do what they CAN do, Kiva provides a powerful vehicle for these entrepreneurs to be who they are in the world.  With no groveling, no hand out, no humiliation.  This is business and the loans get paid back.

Another amazing example of how creativity, innovation, and caring come together in an Abundant solution to provide lasting change.

What Abundant solution can you apply to your own business?

Posted by Kim George at 09:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"We each have our own tree to climb."

Julia Butterfly Hill, founder, Circle of Life

I had the privilege of interviewing Julia for "Coaching Into Greatness".  Many of you may be familiar with her story.  She spent over 2 years living in a tree to protect the famous redwood from certain destruction, and to protest the logging of old growth forests.  The picture on the left shows Julia at the very top of Luna.  What courage!

Here is an exclusive excerpt from Julia's interview in my book:

The gift of Hill’s self-inquiry is getting to the core essence of who she is. The investigation was, to Hill, much like using a magnifying glass to start a fire. “When we choose to really delve into ourselves,” she says, “is when we turn the magnifying glass toward the sun. That’s when it gets fierce.” We’re so afraid of this intensity, we keep the magnifying glass turned the other way. “The results,” she continues, “can only happen in the space of that intensity, so that in the process of being pulled in a million different directions and being unhappy most of my life, I can finally say ‘OK, I’m going to take it on now.’”

She did burn, but as she puts it, what burned were the illusions she had about who she was, and the illusions about not being enough. She switched from “being in the world of fear to being in the world of joy.” She’s learned to laugh more easily, and she can see more clearly the way our existing systems feed off our scarcity and fear.

Living in the tree wasn’t two years and eight days as one event, she says. “It was two years and eight days of moment by moment access of who am I choosing to be in this moment, and recognizing that all we need to be is who we are.” When asked “what can I do?” she responds: “What do you love to do? Find a way to offer some part of that. Who we are is exactly who we were meant to be.”

Hill concludes: “Everything I needed to be is already within me, but I had to be willing to embrace the real burning of the illusions; the letting go of the illusions. In the butterfly analogy, the melting of myself so that I could become who I already am -- a newer, more vibrant expression of who I am.”

Which direction is your magnifying glass aimed at?

 

Posted by Kim George at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Due to the increasing volume of visitors to this blog, I created a category to help folks quickly get up to speed on the Living Into Greatness concepts, my upcoming book Coaching Into Greatness, and my emerging body of work on Abundance Intelligence.

Here's your cheat sheet:

Coaching Into Greatness: 4 Steps to Success in Business and Life will be released by Wiley & Sons in late April. The book explores the REAL reasons people get stuck and don't do what they CAN do by outlining a new way of looking at abundance and scarcity mentality in individuals. 

Big ideas of CIG:

• How you show up in business is directly related to how you show up in life
• True abundance is being who you are
• The ultimate scarcity is resisting who you are
• There is a tipping point where patterns in our lives become a source of scarcity thinking
• Becoming something or someone is a load of crap -- there is nothing to "become" -- when you realize you are already great you can begin to live into your greatness
• Struggle is strictly overrated
• There are 7 Illusions of scarcity thinking
• There are 7 Aptitudes of abundant thinking

Abundance Intelligence (AQ) is a pioneering system of aptitudes, conscious patterns, and beliefs that enable a person to do what they CAN do.  A person with a high AQ demonstrates an authentic, abundant response to life.  In other words, they consistently utilize the abundance aptitudes to be who they are in the world, when it matters most.  This blog regularly features people with high AQ in the "AQ in Action" category. 

The Living Into Greatness process is the 4 step process that moves individuals and organizations from scarcity to abundance.  The 4 steps are:

• Awareness
• Acceptance
• Consistent Action
• Authenticity

In summary:

Positive thinkers see the cup as half full.
People in scarcity see the cup as half empty.
People in abundance see the cup as overflowing.
But people living into their greatness ARE the cup.

Posted by Kim George at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Realistic:  Of or relating to the representation of objects, actions, or social conditions as they actually are.  (American Heritage Dictionary, 2000)

Truly abundant goals are realistic goals.  What does that mean?  To implement goals and get the results we want, we have to first carefully consider what we want.  A realistic goal is based who we are -- not who our boss, parents, spouse or any other external driver thinks we are.  The most successful goals are based on intentions that are in alignment with our values, our vision, and our capacity. I may have a big audacious goal to be a millionaire by the end of 2006.  However, if I am not even making $20,000 and I'm not taking specific, actionable steps to change my reality, this is an unrealistic goal.

I've seen a lot of unrealistic goal setting in business people.  It's great to dream big and everyone can benefit by creating a big vision, but if that vision is not grounded in practical, tangible ways, it is unrealistic.

So why do so many people recycle unrealistic goals year after year?  I believe it's related to the Illusion of Struggle and the Illusion of Control.  A lot of us have a love affair with struggle, don't we?  We identify with struggle.  We think it shows us the boundaries of who we are.  When things are hard, they may be more familiar.  By always striving, we negate who we are by buying into the idea that we're incomplete, less than, not enough.  When we create goals that are ungrounded and always out of our reach, it's a way to keep things safe, predictable. We can stay in control of our lives, because we can predict how it's going to turn out.

Unrealistic goals are like the tug of war you played at those family picnics as a kid.  There's a lot of effort back and forth, struggling to win, but in the end, there's only one winner.  When a person creates unrealistic goals, they're not the winner - complacency is.  Unrealistic goals set us up for failure and more struggle.  They're mighty convenient that way.  They keep us playing small.  They keep us from living into our greatness and being abundant.

Could you benefit from a little reality in your goal setting?

Posted by Kim George at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Kim George does a masterful job shattering the illusions that keep us from becoming our best selves. This smart, practical book will help you move from struggling with scarcity to living a life of abundance."
-Daniel H. Pink, author of A WHOLE NEW MIND

 “The fastest and surest way to success is helping others achieve their own dreams. So even if you’re not a professional coach, read Coaching Into Greatness to become a better coach – for your employees, your family, your friends, and yourself.”
-Keith Ferrazzi, national-bestselling author of NEVER EAT ALONE: And Other Secrets To Success, One Relationship At A Time

“This is not the 'same old, same old' as far as coaching books go. Kim's energy jumps off the page and grabs you with wit, insight and practical, good sense. Greatness is a given if you follow the advice herein. Don't keep your greatness waiting any longer."
-Laura Berman Fortgang, MCC, author of "Now What? 90 Days to a New Life Direction", "Living Your Best Life" and "Take Yourself to the Top"

“This is a wise and inspiring book full of wonderful stories and practical lessons you can apply as a coach – or to your own life.”
-Anita Sharpe, Co-founding Editor and Chairman, Worthwhile Magazine www.worthwhilemag.com

“I love this book!  Coaching Into Greatness breaks new ground with the concept of Abundance Intelligence^tm.  For the first time, we have a system that pinpoints where and how we’re living in scarcity.  By redefining abundance in tangible, practical terms, Kim George gives us a powerful roadmap for claiming the greatness that is already ours.”
-Dr. Joe Vitale , author of way too many books to list here, including "The Attractor Factor" www.mrfire.com

"Amazing! This is what was missing in my coaching and in my life. Long before reading the final chapter, I was using the concepts with my clients and achieving incredible results."
-Garry Schleifer, CPCC,  President, ICF Toronto

“Coaching Into Greatness is a must read for any business professional seeking to improve performance.  In my experience, the most critical issue that sabotages entrepreneurs is having a ‘scarcity’ mindset instead of an ‘abundance’ mindset.  With her clear examples and straightforward style, Kim George will help business professional’s position themselves for success in an ever changing world.”
-Mike Garrison, VP, The Referral Institute

“Catapult your business and life forward by reading this book. Kim’s wisdom and generosity ooze off the pages. This is an opportunity to learn from a master. Be prepared for more solid, usable information than you’ve ever seen inside any one book.”
-Marcia Wieder, author, America’s Dream Coach® and Founder, DreamCoachU.com

"Kim George challenges us to be our great selves, and sets forth a realistic path to that goal.  What I found most useful was the distinction between conditioned patterns (that keep us bound to scarcity) and conscious patterns (that free us to move towards abundance) - these are powerful models to reframe how you see (and act upon) your life."
-Michael Bungay Stanier, author, Get Unstuck & Get Going ...on the stuff that matters and 2006 Canadian Coach of the Year

“Kim George has created the ultimate guide to stripping away our illusions and maximizing our potential. Coaching Into Greatness does a great job of helping us truly live our joy.” 
-Suzanne Falter-Barns, author of Living Your Joy

“Life changing! The principles in this practical book have the ability to literally transform the soul of your business and the heart of your soul. Coaching Into Greatness is an oasis of hope in a desert of despair. Listen in as the author clearly lays out a life plan you can read about today and apply tomorrow.”
-Stephen Fairley, MA, RCC, bestselling author of Getting Started in Personal and Executive Coaching and CEO of the Business Building Center

“This book works for coaches and at the same time it coaches all of us with step-by-step ways to contact our immense greatness. I was especially impressed with how Kim gave practical recommendations for dealing with issues like control, caretaking, and finding ways to “flow.” In doing so, she is giving us a handbook for our personal and spiritual evolution.”
-David Richo, author: The Five Things We Cannot Change and the Happiness We Find by Embracing Them (Shambhala, 2005)

“Kim George’s four step process is one of true greatness. Her simple and easy approach produces amazing results. Whether you’re a coach, consultant, client, or manager, Coaching Into Greatness gives you the tools to create abundance every day. Who wouldn’t want that?”
-Michelle Payne, Executive VP, Beyond Point B Consulting Group

Posted by Kim George at 02:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

All this week, I'm blogging about ways that goals can be feeders of illusion and keep us from actually doing what we CAN do.  I've seen the Illusion of Certainty show up in my goals and in many of my clients goals frequently. 

Certainty is a funny thing.  It's an illusion most of the time, because there are very few things in life we can actually be certain of.  (Yup, I know, death and taxes.)  If we strip away our conditioned patterns, we can also be certain of one other unchanging reality: who we are -- our greatness. 

Certainty impacts our goals when our need to know the outcome of something keeps us from doing what we CAN do.  Take Josie, for example.  Her goal was to start her own floral shop, but she kept procrastinating and adding to her to do list--never actually taking any of the steps to make her floral business a reality.  She couldn't sleep at night, her mind reeling with fears about the risks involved. The Illusion of Certainty is at play here.  Josie loved the familiarity of her boring, unfulfilling job.  She loved the "security" of a weekly paycheck. 

And yet, slowly, surely, that satin lined coffin of Certainty was suffocating her.

Josie couldn't get past the need to know absolutely, to have proof, that her floral business would succeed.  And nobody could give that to her.  As a result, her goal slowly died on the vine.

Take a look at your own goals.  Are you comfortable?  Have you furnished a satin lined coffin?

Posted by Kim George at 10:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

New Year's Resolutions.  Goals.

Tis the season to make 'em and break 'em.

As I was working on my intentions for 2006, it got me to thinking about the dark side of goal setting.  At this week's BNI meeting, I stood up and made a confession. I don't believe in Goals.

There's nothing wrong with goals, per se.  I just don't believe in taking goals at face value. Through my experience coaching 100's of business people, there is a Tipping Point when goals become a source of scarcity.  This week, I'm going to share some insights I've had on just how goals can be the feeder of Illusions.

How many of you have at least one goal you've not met for at least 2 years? (It's ok, you can raise your hand - this is a blog and no one can see you.)  Having an ongoing goal is not necessarily a bad thing - it's when we keep recycling the same old goals year after year, with no focused, intentional action to go along with it, that we run into problems.

When Goal Recycling happens, it can quickly become a sign that the Illusion of Hope is at play.  One of the sources of Scarcity thinking, the Illusion of Hope is what causes us to put our Greatness on hold by waiting for someone or something else to solve our uneasiness of who we are.

The Illusion of Hope is characterized by expectation, powerlessness, and assumption.  How do these conditioned patterns keep us from reaching our goals?  When we expect life (and people) to be a certain way, we make assumptions about what will happen.  If I assume that I will train 100 people this year because I believe I have such a great program, I may expect that I will make over 6 figures as my goal.  However, if underneath this goal, I have a deep rooted fear that I'm really not that great of a trainer, or my program has a lot of kinks in it, or I hate flying (and my training success requires a lot of travel) any one of these fears can be a sign of powerlessness.  And if that keeps me from doing what I can do - marketing my program, networking with prospects, etc. I'm stuck in the Illusion of Hope and recycling my goals.

What goals have you been recycling?

Posted by Kim George at 10:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Goals:  The Hidden Feeder of Illusions

Thursday, January 5th at 7 pm eastern

2006. Will this be another year of recycling the same old goals? Join Kim as she explores the dark side of goal setting.  When we take goals and dreams at face value, we take for granted that they are in alignment with who we really are.  Find out how goals can be a feeder of illusion--a breeding ground for expectation, assumption, and denial.  Discover an alternative way to set your intentions by understanding and embracing the power of Declarations.

To register for this call, please send an email here.

Posted by Kim George at 05:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)