ICF Converge Conference with good friend Mike Kline ...

via Recovery Coach Training http://ift.tt/2iJLmzC

via Recovery Coach Training http://ift.tt/2gpMHuy

via Recovery Coach Training http://ift.tt/2iJL6Ra

via Recovery Coach Training http://ift.tt/2gpMCqK

"Everyone in this world is somehow connected. So why not just be nice to everybody." Richard Simmons https://goo.gl/MUzxPS

via Recovery Coach Training http://ift.tt/2wDaKNb

Take some time to be with yourself. You'll be inspired by what you can learn.

via Recovery Coach Training http://ift.tt/2vvCYVo

How can meditation help your career as a professional recovery coach?

We all have those days when we come home from work feeling exhausted, stressed, and sleep-deprived. As much as we love our careers as professional recovery coaches, even the best job in the world can’t protect you from a stressful day. That doesn’t mean there aren’t things we can do to help our minds become clearer and stronger while we’re working with our clients. Meditation may be the answer you’re looking for on those mentally tough days.

It can help you beat job stress and burnout.
Any career can have you feeling stressed and exhausted at the end of a long day. Although we feel there are many healthy benefits to working as a professional recovery coach, it never hurts to have another layer of defense against work burnout. We’d recommend daily meditation because it can help you leave your work at work and free your mind to relax when you’re at home. It can also help you evaluate tough emotions that come from your work life without you having to immediately react to them, which can help you manage them readily and accurately when the time comes.

Meditation is a great way to work on your attention span.
Most people have to practice meditation and mindfulness regularly before they’re able to see any real results. However, as you practice meditation, you’re also practicing keeping your attention on one thing – your breathing. Working on your attention can help you become more attentive and alert to your clients when you’re working directly with them in a long session or discussion. You may find that your mind doesn’t wander as much while you’re at work if you’ve been working on your meditation skills.

It can keep your body clear, rested, and ready to help others.
There are several physical and mental benefits to meditation. One of our favorites is that practicing meditation can also make it easier to fall asleep when you’re particularly stressed about a client or situation. It also allows you to clear your brain if you have something in your personal life that may be affecting your work. When you have the ability to take care of your body and clear your mind, you will be that more able to tend to the needs of the people you are working with as a professional recovery coach.

If you’ve never tried meditation before, it may be time to give it a try. Although it takes practice, meditation may just be the key to becoming your best self, and an ever better professional recovery coach.

Hit pause on a racing mind with mindful breathing. https://goo.gl/YbyuPq

via Recovery Coach Training http://ift.tt/2ipJeNg

Coaching Roles by Jean LaCour PhD, CPP, CPC, CPRC

       

The International Coach Federation 2015 Client Study confirms that Professional coaching brings many wonderful benefits and can impact people’s lives through:  fresh perspectives on personal challenges, enhanced decision-making skills, greater interpersonal effectiveness, and increased confidence.”¹

Practical Roles in Coaching.  Life Coaches believe that clients are the source of their own solutions and use the coaching conversation and powerful questions to expand awareness and insight.  There may be times though, when your clients will be well served if you can share the benefit of your experience or knowledge in a way that helps them move forward. My friend Pegotty Cooper, who trains Divorce Coaches, shared four pragmatic roles that include Educator, Thinking Partner, Resource, and Champion. I believe these also apply to the specialty area of Recovery Coaching.

As Educator.  If your clients are working within a specific set of challenges or goals, you may be of service in helping them to see the bigger picture. To help clients get better outcomes in a difficult process, at times you may educate them about options or pitfalls of going through the process or system, example caring for an elderly parent or making a career shift. You may know of services they can check into.  But, we are coaches, we are not advisors.

As Thinking Partner. When you are working with clients over many months or longer, they may be impacted by crisis situations or undue stress. They may be operating from their reptilian brain. They need a voice of reason and reminder about where they are going when they get overwhelmed; in other words, a Thinking Partner. We help them to think through options including how to maintain relationships with important support people and track the steps in their process, such as dealing with loss of a job or death of a loved one.  Many times, a valued Life Coach is the trusted professional who can bring stability in the mist of life’s instability by believing their clients are capable and resourceful. And by helping them to remember who they are as their ‘best selves’.

As Resource. Life Coaches can help clients relate to other vital people. We identify and screen professionals such as mental health professionals. We make Referrals to these people who have specific roles in a difficult process or situation our clients encounter. We also curate resources like books, blogs, support networks, etc. which can inform and inspire.

As Champion.  Our clients need a person who is “in their corner” helping them to explore how to make happen what they want to have happen, to celebrate wins big and small, and to help them gain clarity, confidence, and courage for the journey. Life Coaches have tremendous capacity to help our clients to find the inner resources to press through their stuck places when their goals seem unattainable.

^{1 Benefits of Using a Coach ICF website http://ift.tt/1hejkq1}    

        

A Cancer Diagnosis Makes a Person Sit Up and Take Notice – Part V

Time

How many “times” have you heard that TIME is a valuable commodity?

• Time is of the essence
• You can’t make up for lost time
• The clock is ticking
• Time is money
• So much to do, and so little time

You get the picture…

But, I didn’t get it. Not really. Not for the longest time (pun intended). Until that day…

How I found that the Cancer in my colon had metastasized to the liver was a bit bizarre. I suppose the cancer wasn’t satisfied taking root in my colon, knowing that it was rather easy (relatively speaking) for a surgeon to remove it. So it decided to take residence in my liver.

Cancer can be like that, you know. Makes itself at home, and takes over, room by room.

I had been diagnosed with Colon Cancer by a Urologist after the Colonoscopy, and he had referred me to a really unique surgeon. Sole practitioner, cowboy boots, and a expansive sense of humor. Called himself the A**hole Doctor, since much of his practice was related to that part of the anatomy.

But, I digress…

The surgeon was very confident he could remove the colon section in question, and I would be good to go. He requested a CT scan, and scheduled me for the surgery.

The day of the surgery, as I was headed to the waiting area, my wife and I stopped in the medical records department, and requested a copy of the CT Scan results. Metastasis.

I finally got what all the fuss was, about this thing called Time, and it actually stood still. It did. It can actually do that, you know. Well, truth be told, it just seems to do that when something that really sucks, just smacks you between the eyeballs. And a metastasis just has a way of doing that. Bam!

But here is what I really want to say to you about Time:

Regardless of when you finally figure out that time is valuable, irrespective of how you figure it out, accept this blinding flash of the obvious as a gift. Because it is.

From that moment on, make the most of time. Swear to yourself that you will strive, every single day of the rest of your life to do the following 5 things:

1. Savor every moment you can.
   Savor that ice cream, your wife’s smile, the laughter of your kids, the smell of a mowed lawn or a freshly baked batch of blueberry muffins, the songbird’s sweet melody, or the sound of rain on the roof.
2. Don’t sweat the small, insignificant, petty stuff.
   When you really come down to it, the VAST majority of stuff in this world is small and petty and insignificant. It just is! Why get your knickers in a knot about that stuff?
3. Slow down and pay attention to the beauty in the details, and learn something new every day.
   Don’t gloss over the beauty in the details. Find out how things work, and why. Whether it’s learning how to speak a few words in a foreign language, figuring out how hummingbirds hover, what honey is made of (OK, this one will be a little gross), how a tiny speck of sand can turn into a pearl, what chemicals farts are made of (trying to make a point here!), it does not really matter. Just learn new stuff. Every day.
4. Stop to reflect at the end of each day.
   What you got accomplished. What went well. What could have gone better. What was left undone. Take inventory.
5. Be gracious. Show gratitude. Give thanks.
   Don’t take what people do for granted. Don’t minimize their efforts and deeds. And above all, don’t gloss over just how valuable it was to live yet another day.

If you do these things, I can literally guarantee you that from this moment on, you will find fulfillment, and your life will change. You will change. And you won’t ever question again if you have truly accomplished something truly great. Because you have. You have accomplished the greatest act of all.

You have learned how to value TIME. Hopefully, I pray for your sake, without a Cancer diagnosis…

I always welcome your thoughts and comments, even when you don’t agree with me. I don’t have all the answers. Heck, I don’t even have the questions half the time. Drop me a line. Leave comments in the LEAVE A REPLY box below.

You can read my blog HERE, connect on Twitter HERE, LinkedIn HERE and Facebook HERE. You can send me an email HERE.

Exciting News! Dr. Jean is working with a State Department group of experts to develop recovery curriculum that will be used around the world! Dr. Jean LaCour, President of NET Institute & ISAAC continues to expand the NET of recovery worldwide. See State Department Media Release below ...

via Recovery Coach Training http://ift.tt/2ikz2FP

via Recovery Coach Training http://ift.tt/2wi1FJE

A Cancer Diagnosis Makes a Person Sit Up and Take Notice – Part IV

Magic Cure

I did some research just to see how many “silver bullets” or “magic cures” I could find for cancer. I got tired and stopped counting at 142. I‘d bet anything there are 10 times that number.

Let me be clear. I am not a doctor. I am not a scientist.I am not a medical researcher, biologist, biochemist, nor do I have any medical training. And please don’t get on my case that don’t know what I am talking about, and that I didn’t look at Dr. Euphoria’s Jimsonweed Extract or 12 Carrots a Day.

I have cancer. And, a lot of common sense and some intelligence. And after doing my own reading, and research, and talking to a few experts, I chose a path.

I am glad I did.

I know there are stories of someone who was cured doing X, Y, or Z, be it Urine Therapy, Neuro-linguistic Programming, Ear Candling, Emu’s Head Extract (yes, for real), Homeopathy, the Budwig Protocol, using an Orgone Accumulator or any of the 130 plus other quackeries I found. I just don’t buy it.

My advice: Talk to real experts, read, pray, and then make the very best decision you can for you.

“Steve Jobs died regretting that he had spent so long attempting to treat his cancer with alternative medicine before agreeing to undergo surgery, his biographer has disclosed.” — www.telegraph.co.uk

If there was a Magic Cure, there would be no more Cancer. I hope someday soon, I pray to God, mankind finds one. This disease sucks…

I always welcome your thoughts and comments, even when you don’t agree. I don’t have all the answers. Heck, I don’t even have the questions half the time. Drop me a line. Leave comments in the LEAVE A REPLY box below.

You can read my blog HERE, connect on Twitter HERE, LinkedIn HERE and Facebook HERE. You can send me an email HERE.

A Cancer Diagnosis – Part III

My Family

This is Part III of the series on Cancer Diagnosis Themes.

For me, right after my diagnosis, a very early thought that embedded itself in my mind, sticking there like a rusty nail, eating in to my thoughts every day, was “What will my family do? How can I take care of my family?”

This is only natural, and having talked with more than a few cancer clinic waiting-room inhabitants, it’s pretty common. In addition to the incredible stress the

But it’s not the right focus. Here’s why.

I am not suggesting one should not care about their family. I care deeply about mine. And they have been instrumental in my healing and recovery. What I am saying is that you need to focus on and take care of self first, or you will not be around long enough to do your family any good.

A certain amount of selfishness here is called for:

• Get your priorities straight
• Focus on your recovery, healing, treatment, and psyche,
• Then you can then take care of the other very important things in life.

Without strength and health, you won’t be able to get it together enough to care for your family.

And although not the topic of this particular post, the same applies to addictions. Under the powerful grip of addictions, you will be less than useful to your loved ones.

Fix you, then a healthier, more together you, can help the family.

What do you think? There is a LEAVE A REPLY box below. Would love to hear your views.

You can read my blog HERE, connect on Twitter HERE, LinkedIn HERE and Facebook HERE. You can send me an email HERE.

Don’t Fake It Until You Make It

It is ironic that the guy who said, “Call it ‘fake it ’til you make it’, call it ‘smoke and mirrors’, call it whatever you want” lasted only 10 days as the communications director for the “fake news” obsessed White House. It is also kind of ironic that casino magnate Steve Wynn got his “good friend’s” name wrong. Wynn referred to Scaramucci as Andy and Andrew, instead of Anthony, when he made the opening remarks at the inaugural SkyBridge Alternatives (SALT) Conference in Las Vegas in May of 2009. Seems that perhaps faking it until you make it does indeed have its price.

I like to think so.

Some disagree. After all, there is allegedly some “science” behind the whole “Fake It Until You Make It” approach to life and business. It serves as one of the underlying principles of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), where it can serve as a means to enable a change in one’s behavior. Simplistically speaking, the theory says that if you “act as if” you are already a certain way, it is easier to achieve being that way.

But the point is: Its supposed to be a temporary condition!!!!! You are not supposed to Fake It forever!

I’m not going to get into the details of the science, nor will I debate CBT, which in my opinion happens to be a sound practice for improving mental health. What I am going to do, is to give you the 5 reasons why “faking it” is not such a good idea.

1. Reeks of being inauthentic – I understand the “gist” of how some people interpret the “fake it” mantra. But overall, I think it’s pretty inauthentic. I’m not into faking…
2. Fools you into believing you don’t really need to learn – You might be learning as you go, and as long as you are learning and making progress, all is good. But don’t lull yourself into a false sense of thinking you can do, just because you say you can…
3. Implies taking short cuts is a good practice – In the end, there is no substitute for actually having skills and expertise. Superficial knowledge might just eventually get you in trouble. I have found that in driving, much like in life, most shortcuts lead to a big ditch or a flat tire…
4. Discourages you from putting in real time – Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you know enough to get by, and then have that get in the way of learning and gaining the skills. Put in the time.
5. Draining to always be faking it – Isn’t it a drain of energy to be pretending you know? I would be under stress all the time, thinking someone is going to call me out, or expose big gaps in skills or knowledge. What a drain of mental, emotional and physical energy. I’d rather spend the time actually getting smarter and better!

I’m all for being positive. I am totally in favor of on the job training, and I support learning as you go. But these all imply a process. They are about growth and evolution of skills and knowledge. It’s not a superficial facade of saying you are or know something you are truly not or don’t know.

So the long and the short of it for me is, get to where you need to be. Put in the time. Stop faking it!

What do you think? There is a LEAVE A COMMENT box below. Would love to hear your views.

You can read my blog HERE, connect on Twitter HERE, LinkedIn HERE and Facebook HERE. You can send me an email HERE.

“The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Don’t wait for good things to happen to you. If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, you will fill yourself with hope.” ~Barack Obama

via Recovery Coach Training http://ift.tt/2vCLhk7

A Cancer Diagnosis Will Make You Sit Up and Take Notice – Part II

Beating This

Feeling like you can beat whatever has knocked you down, whatever has brought you to your knees, is a good state of mind to be in. You need positivity.

But it’s not enough.

Positivity is a thought. It’s good thinking. It’s a mental and emotional state. Now you need to follow through with actions. Actions are what will conquer the demon that has a hold of you.

I’m not going to recommend what actions you should take, to battle and win against your specific monster, be it Cancer, Addiction, an Abusive Spouse, or other illnesses, conditions or life threatening issues. That is way too personal. The required and specific actions are yours and yours alone to determine and take.

Besides, I am not an expert in many of these fields. But, there ARE many experts out there, that have addressed your particular issue(s), and have a lot of experience helping others battle and win against their particular monster.

Seek them out. I am living proof, as are many others, that you can indeed BEAT THIS!

You can read my blog HERE, connect on Twitter HERE, LinkedIn HERE and Facebook HERE. You can send me an email HERE.

A Cancer Diagnosis Will Make You Sit Up and Take Notice

“It doesn’t look good man” was his answer. I had just asked the surgeon for a prognosis.

He referred me to an Oncologist. After seeing her, she said to me, “You probably have a year, maybe 18 months. It’s hard to say definitively. If you would like, I can sign the paperwork for you to start Social Security Disability benefits”.

What?

My world had just started to crumble around me. Time stood still.

What do I do now?

What’s the use of going on?

What have I done with my life?

These are just a few of the questions that ran through my mind. A whole set of other crazy bizarre thoughts did as well. Some too crazy to state here.

 

But some major themes stood out. Some best forgotten, some a “must deal with”. Such as:

• Denial
• Beating This
• My Family
• Magic Cure
• Unsolicited Advice
• Time

I’ll share my thoughts on Denial today, the rest in future installments of this story.

DENIAL

Perhaps some people who are diagnosed with cancer don’t ever slip into denial. Maybe some do for just a fleeting instant, and then get their heads back on straight. Others, never seem to emerge from the deep dark cave that is denial. Me, I retreated into that cave for a not so pleasant period of time. Even now, almost three years later, I shudder to think of it.

Back then, at first, I curled up into a ball, and screamed silently for the world to go away. Plain old paralyzing fear, self pity, this can’t be happening to me kind of stuff. You name it. I felt it. Deny, deny, deny.

Denial seems to be the psyche’s natural multi purpose coping mechanism. It’s not logical. Far from practical. Totally irrational. But, it is real. Oh so real. There’s no denying denial…

Facing and conquering the state of denial is the absolute and most necessary first step in dealing with the big C. Denial never got me anywhere, anytime for anything. And as my rational mind began to wrap this head around that, I began to slowly crawl out, then stand up and walk, then finally run out of that cave, never to return.

If you find yourself in denial, after a cancer diagnosis, or for ANY reason, not able to move, looking around, in that cave, not able to muster the strength and wherewithal to beat back your psyche, get help. Or call or write to me. I’ll help you. Do it. You can’t afford any of your precious time in that deep dark cave.

To be continued…

You can read my blog HERE, connect on Twitter HERE, LinkedIn HERE and Facebook HERE. You can send me an email HERE.

We do what we do because addicts need love and support too.

via Recovery Coach Training http://ift.tt/2vNBlqf

4 tips for mindfulness in a fast-paced world

Have you ever experienced a day when you didn’t take any time for yourself at all? Our lives are constantly filled with work, meetings, plans, goals and experiences. While all of these things make our lives worthwhile, it’s important for our own mental health that we take some time to look inward and focus on our mindfulness.

If you’re new to mindfulness or you haven’t taken time for it in a while, remember that you don’t need grand plans to get started. Mindfulness can start with one small change in your life right now. Here are some of our suggestions:

1. Make time for meditation.
The reality of living in a fast-paced world is that if you don’t schedule a certain amount of time to something, the chances are much lower of you actually doing it. If you take just 10 minutes every day to really get in tune with your mind and body through meditation, you’ll feel so much more at peace. Schedule this time as soon as you wake up in the morning or right before you go to bed.

2. New to meditation? Consider taking a class.
Meditation is certainly a skill that takes some practice. If you’ve never really taken the time to mediate before, it may be helpful to get assistance from a class or certified professional. Meditation classes can be found in many places, including yoga studios or online.

3. Stay in tune with your thoughts and emotions by writing them down.
Some of us may be better at keeping a journal than others. You don’t necessarily need to journal for hours every single day to stay in tune with your thoughts. If you’re short on time, simply write down a few thoughts about how you’re feeling or how your day went right before you go to sleep at night.

4. Keep your expectations low while working on your mindfulness.
We often get discouraged or intimidated by working on mindfulness when we feel like we’re not immediately reaching our goals. Remember that mindfulness can take months or even years to really make an impact on your lifestyle. Keep your goals small, work on mindfulness a little bit every day and don’t create expectations that are larger than life.

We urge you to take some time to work on your mindfulness this week. It’s a great way to stay positive and clear your mind so you can focus your days on helping those around you.

Looking to help those find the road through recovery? We can give you the guide.

via Recovery Coach Training http://ift.tt/2frU8Bb

via Recovery Coach Training http://ift.tt/2hDy5I7

These Ideas Will Make You Wiser

I’m not a genius. I don’t have all the answers. I make mistakes. I often get it wrong. But some people, are getting it right. They have something valuable to say, or they are being successful at whatever they have chosen to do. And they can be a source for a significant amount of priceless inspiration and ideas.

So I’ve learned to be observant. To listen. To be inquisitive. And I find wisdom everywhere. I mean EVERYWHERE.

How do I do this? It’s really quite simple. Watch. Listen. Observe. Dig. Research. Look up. Google. Ask.

Don’t let the world just slip by. Listen to conversations. Watch and read TV, Social Media, Information Sources and Feeds, and look for the golden nuggets. They are there.

Here are two good examples.

Recently, I was watching one of my favorite programs, National Geographic’s Life Below Zero. The real life characters have a lot of valuable things to say. Here is a nugget I harvested from listening to Chip Hailstone: You will find success where opportunity meets experience. Now he didn’t say it exactly like that, but that’s what he meant. All I had to do was listen. That nugget was there for the harvesting.

Here is another gem I was able to pluck from reading some of my favorite social media sources: Don’t look for a guarantee, look for an opportunity. Take it and do your best.

Wisdom. All around you. There for the harvesting. Who knows? Eventually, some of that great stuff might just start rubbing off…

You can read my blog HERE, connect on Twitter HERE, LinkedIn HERE and Facebook HERE

For kids who struggle with addiction, staying in school is critical. https://goo.gl/UczKRf

via Recovery Coach Training http://ift.tt/2vApHQ6

This article is absolutely correct! The more we know about opiates, the more we can help addicts. https://goo.gl/QRsMRm

via Recovery Coach Training http://ift.tt/2hpr9i3