Fear Is Just An Illusion In Your Mind

I have realized over the years that the mere fact of facing up to the fear will make most of us freeze in our paths towards being more decisive. More than often,the fear of action makes many people lead a compromised life. Over the years, I have also been guilty of succumbing to this sucker and learnt that, to win over fear in our own mind there is no single short cut but some simple steps which I did take over the years and am going to explain in the next few paragraphs.

Fear according to me is just a mirage which looks menacing. However once you begin to turn the tables you can make it your best buddy in this journey called life. Fear is mostly a fabrication of our mind and it usually imprisons one within the confines of your comfort zone for most part of your life. Fear is nothing but False Evidence that appears real. I work with people day in and out to help them overcome this unhealthy thought process, to eventually make them look at life in a totally new light. Some of the things which one can do to fight fear are -

What are your fears: Yes, identifying your biggest fear which is compromising your life, is the most important thing you can do. If you do not know what you as an individual are dealing with, then how will you chalk out a road map? I always spend considerable time with my clients on the initial sessions to find out the fear at the conscious and subconscious level which is pulling one down. I have realized that once you pin down the fear or the sequence of events which is causing the fear, it makes things more manageable and workable.

Move fear into the light: Once you have identified the fear lurking inside you, then it is time to move it in the open, to see how to begin some work. Have you ever pulled a closet and spread the contents to do a cleanup? The same analogy works here. Once you move the fear out to understand what the problems are, you are throwing some light on it. I strongly believe that the answer to darkness is always light and moving the fear from the dark corner in your mind to some light in this case awareness,makes a huge difference in fighting your fear. I realized that clients had more clarity when they took the fear out of their own mind and looked at things with a completely different perspective by working with a Life Coach like me. Sure the problem still exists and it may be a difficult one to deal with it but the smartest thing you can do is not to procrastinate but to jump into the arena.

Make a Plan of Action: Once you know what the challenge is and bring it out in the open, then it is time for some action. Small positive steps in the right direction are all that are required to work on the fear factor. You will be amazed as to how light and calm you will begin to feel when you work on small steps towards a solution. The only way you can overcome fear is by action and the only workable action plan I have seen & has worked for me over the years is taking regular small steps towards the goals.

Visualize yourself overcoming the fear: Once you have a workable plan and have began to take some baby steps, then it is imperative that you see yourself doing things you feared the most in the mind. Make it look as real as possible. Remember that the mind cannot make out what is real and what is imagined. It just does its job of processing the data and this is where working with a Professional Life coach is very important. Once you begin to reprogram the sub-conscious mind in overcoming the fear then it is just a matter of time before you begin to do it in reality.

I personally believe that overcoming fear is a learned skill, which any one can inculcate. Yes,it takes time and most importantly some major shifts from the inside out. Nevertheless the joy and the euphoria once goes through when they realize that they have actually managed to overcome some of the biggest fears make’s my job as a Life coach so very blessed. Some things cannot be expressed in words and this emotion comes close to it. By reading this far you have already taken the first step and put the wheel in motion. You just need to work on the tips I have explained above and move forward. I will be happy to hear from you on your own journey of overcoming fear or even the steps you managed to take post reading my blog on my Facebook Page  or at my mail Id coach@satishrao.in

Simple Strategies To Overcome Your Worst Health Vices

What I have observed over the years with people is that most of them look at a rigid set of rules to turn into a new leaf. Remember that being healthy at the emotional and physical level is achieved by working on small changes which are doable and practical. Small meaningful changes are what get you the desired results than something more radical. What is it that one can do to overcome our biggest vices? What one can do to begin from today rather than wait for Christmas is given below -

Skipping Meals: I come across many who consider skipping meals especially, breakfast as a weight loss solution. However in reality it is one of the major reasons for weight gain. By skipping meals you will ensure that you slow down your metabolism and emotionally you will begin to crave for more food. The Net result is that you will tend to consume more food/calories than you would have if you weren’t so famished in the first place. I always advocate and follow regular eating, by ensuring that I always have healthy options around me when I want to eat. The trick is to never allow your body to move into the hunger zone by which time your emotional muscle will give way to unhealthy foods.

Short-changing on sleep: I personally believe that 7-8 hours of sleep is as critical as a good eating habit and regular exercise. What I have noticed in many people is that they try to fit in too many things in their day and end up compromising on their sleep. For most an hour or two of watching television is a must, which does more harm than good. Our body heals emotionally and physically when we shut down without any distractions. Work on ensuring a well deserved sleep of 7-8 hours by working towards it. The positive effects will be noticed in no time.

Sinful snacking: Most of my clients are surprised when they realize that a small nibble at the office desk or while watching the Television will add up to an overload of Trans fat and calories. As a society we have moved on to a unhealthy trend of having food which is convenient. what i advocate is that even fresh fruits and vegetables are also fast food and one needs to recondition the mind into thinking that way. Once you align your thoughts then I am sure you will begin to look at healthier options. Work on small changes to discourage you from eating unhealthy foods.

Nip the sweet tooth in the bud: I observe that we are consuming far too much sugar than required and recent research points to this, as the top most reason for most of the Non communicable diseases. I personally feel that sugar does play a big role in our emotions and weakens our EQ.I too, at one time, had succumbed to the sugar deluge but over the years have overcome the urge to consume sugar in my food. A far better alternative to sugary food would be fruit which is healthy and will also take care of your sweet cravings. Begin small on overcoming this and in no time, you will you enjoy the real taste of food without sugar masking it.

Slacking on exercise: This is most important especially when I see young adults succumbing to life threatening diseases mainly due to not investing some time everyday in doing some kind of exercise. It beats me when people invest on materialistic things and go all out to ensure that their family’s future is secure at least financially. However when it comes to their own health they have no inclination in even spending 30 minutes every day for exercise. This over a long period of time is the most important investment one can do for yourself and your family. Work on small changes and do check my previous posts on exercise strategy to turn things around.

I have more or less covered most of the important factors to take care of, if you are walking on the path to a unhealthy lifestyle. I am sure some of you would still have lots of inhibitions in your mind which will stop you from taking the first few steps. Do reach out to me on Facebook Fan Page or on my mail Id coach@satishrao.in I will be more than happy to share some additional tips which have worked for me & my clients wonderfully over the years.

Are You Proud Of Your Own Progress?

At Most times, We tend to be hard on ourselves and do not realize, how far we have come from where we had initially started. It could be working on ourselves or spending more time with our loved ones. This is a typical attitude of seeing the glass half empty rather than half full.

There are many times In my life where for a moment, I felt remorseful about the progress made by me, even though realistically things are going in the right direction, albeit slowly. It is important that we believe in ourselves and build on our progress which according to me is an important trait of a successful & happy human being.While working with my clients, I make it an important point of discussion to highlight the small steps of progress they have taken which otherwise, might look very insignificant to them. When one steps back and looks at the situation objectively, there will be considerable momentum for the individual to build on. It is with these small achievements that one can build a strong habit and eventually change one’s lifestyle for the positive.I have learnt over the years the hard way that smaller goals are as important as the bigger ones.

When I look back over the years, I have had zillions of setbacks starting from not making it to the gym for at least 3-4 days a week or staying away from greasy or fattening food. Realization slowly dawned that the answer is in looking at why it happened and ensuring that there is some learning from it. If I had allowed myself to get stuck, then I would have never have been able to reach my destination.We tend to feel guilty and bad about ourselves for not doing things we had committed but the thumb rule is to pull ourselves up and move forward. Sometimes it might be working out or even getting up early or just being disciplined in our daily habits.The idea over here is not to become complacent but to be realistic and ensure one develops a pattern which over a period of time becomes a habit. There are many people who want to get into an exercise habit and give up on their bad habits. They tend to do well for a week but somewhere along the way they lose focus and eventually get back to their regular habits. When they happen to meet me, they feel guilty and actually helpless that they did try to get into a habit but eventually their vices took over their determination. The trick over here is to ensure one does not give up at the first signs of failure but keep at it till a strong habit at the sub-conscious is forged.

Sometimes when I used to fail in my efforts to inculcate a habit or needed to work on something important the next day, it used to help me to program myself the previous night just before going to bed and conveying to my subconscious mind the importance of not failing. This at most times yielded wonderful results.Having written goals will do a world of good. It has been time and again proven that people with a clear time bound written goal, be it financial, relationship or even health have more or less reached or at times exceed their expectations. Therefore it is imperative that one has clear written goal to ensure that one does not lose focus. There are many times that a list of goals is more prominent in my wallet than anything valuable i might carry. Whenever I get a chance during the day, I quickly take a look at them and remind myself as to why it is so important to be absolutely focused.Finally using a little bit of visualization, will do a world of good for anyone who is struggling to keep up with themselves. Seeing things in our minds eye as to how things will be, if we have reached our goals will propel ourselves to work towards them with greater zeal and commitment.Some of these above mentioned techniques have been used by many to achieve their goals and most importantly get up every time one tends to fall. I do not see any reason why you cant incorporate these principals in your life. It is always a smarter and easier method to learn from others mistakes rather than wasting precious time by reinventing the wheel.

I hope this article will make some of you, work with more purpose on the life changing habits you are working on and for the others who have given up at the first signs of failure, It might reignite your desire to achieve your goals which you might have given up thinking it is the wrong end of the rainbow!Whatever it is I do hope that each one of you do work on the things from the inside first.An inside out approach does work amazingly well when things are not working out for you and this is what i exactly do with my clients who would have done everything but somewhere they feel that they could overcome their biggest challenges by working with me.Do share with me if you have worked out your own unique way of working on your habits and I would be happy to hear from you on my Facebook Fan page or on my mail Id coach@satishrao.in

Are You Knocking At The Door Of Chronic Stress?

As a Life & Wellness Coach, people get in touch with me for various challenges they are facing in their life. When working with people one gets some great insights and experience. One common factor which drives people over the cliff, is stress or to be more precise chronic stress. What I have learnt over the years is that people perceive that being “too busy” is a sign of success or a flourishing career. Although this can be true to a large extent, being overworked and completely overwhelmed has more negatives than the positive’s. Our body can handle stress only to a certain extent and post that it will move on to a panic mode. This will invariably lead to irreparable losses in emotional and physical well being.

As we live in the 21st century with severe competition for just about everything, I agree that stress can be helpful and in fact motivating to a certain extent. However over the years enough research articles have been published to prove that regular exposure to chronic stress makes the body release many harmful hormones which will eventually cause severe damage both emotionally & physically.

When I work with clients who lead busy lives, the gravity of chronic stress is realized within a couple of coaching sessions. I can relate to my own life where over the years my stress had reached a tipping point due to fact that the focal point of my life was my work. It took and made up a huge portion of my life. When I learned about the gravity of chronic stress, I made an honest effort to change my habits and keep everyday stress to a bare minimum. There are many ways to effectively manage stress but you can do so, only after you notice and admit that you are indeed too stressed out. Some of the ways you know that you are going through chronic stress would be

You wake up feeling tired:If you wake up tired, exhausted and not feeling like taking on the world then this is the surest sign of being overworked, overstretched and over-committed This implies that you have not rested enough even though you are on the bed for 6-7 hours. Your mind would have been working overtime and not have rested at all. For some it might be that they cannot go to sleep at all.However you look at it,the state you get up is a good indicator to know how much stress is effecting your life to a large extent.

You get infuriated by smallest of things:When we are stressed our minds are so overloaded that we are unable to logically and calmly process situations and information. Hence we have less tolerance for mistakes and irregularities. I have seen this happen for some at work and for others in their personal space. What this does is it generally has a ripple effect on other areas of your life and becomes a vicious circle of being unhappy in general.

You feel a vague sense of unhappiness:What I have observed with some of my clients is that along with stress and unhealthy food habits one tends to ride a roller coaster wave of emotions during the day which will eventually affect your hormones and emotional well-being. This according to me is one of the biggest reasons why depression has overtaken all other lifestyle diseases in recent times.

You are constantly looking for something: Cortisol, the hormone released when you are stressed damages the brain over time and can lead to memory problems is what the recent research articles say. The biggest drawback when one goes through stress is that One’s thoughts are thrown into disarray. The lack of focus and clarity will eventually make one lose track of things. This may not happen overnight but over a period of time I have observed this in many of the people who complain of stress in their life over a long period of time.

You experience frequent headache: One of the common symptoms of chronic stress is the Tension Headache which I feel is the body’s response to unregulated stress over a period of time. This results in muscle spasms around the head, neck and back region. I have worked with many people who have hardly spent a week without this recurring numbness in them. Yes taking tablets might help in the short term but it will eventually reappear if the main source is not taken care of.

Personally, I feel that there is nothing wrong in fulfilling your responsibilities, obligation and duties. However one must know where to draw a line and work on a work life balance which is what I do with people who do realize that chronic stress has overtaken them. I work with them and make them realize that they need to work for a living and not live to work. Usually in a couple of sessions with me, they tend to realize that being “too busy” reduces their quality of life irrespective of the material wealth they posses.

I hope that through these examples, I have made you realize that living with chronic stress is a choice which if you do want to, can walk away from at any point of time. In case you or someone whom you know is going through chronic stress then do reach out to me on my Facebook Page or on my email at coach@satishrao.in I will be more than glad to work with you or your reference with my proven,guaranteed & simple Life strategies which has worked remarkably well for my clients over the years.

You Are Your Own Hero

Coaching and interacting with different people across cultures, I have realized that most people are at the mercy of external circumstances. They do not realize that we cannot change our external environment to a large extent but can dig into our own resources to be our biggest hero.Working as a full time professional coach, I have seen how people’s perceptions are conceived and over a period of time they begin to believe and unfortunately live them. My job is to reverse the thought process and help my clients think differently. I make them know that by the end of the day they are in absolute control of their destiny and can choose how to behave, learn and grow. Some of the things you can also do to take control of the situation are -

Bite the bullet: Some of us just need a push, to walk through and I have experienced this many a times with my clients. What I do notice is that whatever the problem one is facing, they are too close to the problem. Yes it does look and feel menacing from up close! What I make them do is to step back and see the whole problem from a little distance to get a little disassociated from the whole issue. What we generally see as a problem is not something independent but a situation which you generally do not like. To deal with it more effectively, see it from a different angle and notice that you can take the difficulty as an opportunity to grow. This eventually makes you work on taking actions.

Focus on what you do want: Avoiding what you don’t want will take your energy away from achieving what you want. When I coach people, I always first figure out with my client as to what is that they do want and focus on that going forward. Over the years I have observed that “What you try to avoid you unconsciously create”. So it is imperative that you define a positive outcome precisely and visualize it in as much detail as possible. Ensure you do have your own milestones as to measure your own success.

Take ownership: Most of us have developed the habit of blaming others and the environment for the situation we are in. There is magic in taking ownership and taking complete responsibility. Most times, we would love to be the innocent victim. Move away from a victim mindset and focus on what you can do, to respond to your own challenge. Take the responsibility to become the hero of your story. I remember working with a client couple of years ago who blamed everything around him for his present state of emotional instability. Once he took ownership of things around him and began taking decisions to overcome them, his life turned around dramatically. Sometimes we need to remove our own chains which stop us from moving forward.

Begin with an end in mind: Set your mind on what you are ultimately trying to achieve. Once you begin with an end in the mind, our brain does begin to work towards it by following the patterns @ the sub-conscious level. Work on visualizing the complete journey in terms of creating, developing, overcoming the challenges and finally savoring the Aaha moments. It might be difficult to do this at the beginning, but if you work on this regularly, there is nothing which can stop you from doing the things you envision clearly in the mind.

Succeed beyond success: Be committed to fully achieve what you desire. There are no half measures in being a hero. Know that you deserve it and give it your best. This will most likely turn the odds for you and make you most likely to live the success. Work on pursuing your goals ethically and with absolute integrity. True success like happiness cannot be pursued but will be by-product of one’s personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself. Always listen to your inner voice or gut feelings and carry on with the best of your knowledge.

I hope that I have put across my thoughts that each one of us has the required knowledge, qualities and most importantly the Attitude to work on your biggest challenges and begin a new chapter in life. As a coach working with people, nothing can give me more satisfaction than clients who overcome these emotional barriers and ultimately reach their respective goals. Well if you know that you are up to this journey then do drop a line on my Facebook Fan Page or email me at coach@satishrao in and we can work on it within no time.

Some Easy Steps To Be Healthy At Work

The biggest challenge most of the working people face is, how to be healthy when one spends so much time at work which includes commuting as well. Over the years, the biggest obstacle in every one’s mind when it comes to staying healthy is the lack of time. However according to me it is about not having a bigger purpose, lack of motivation and also the know-how about how “one can actually stay healthy without visiting gyms or any drastic changes in lifestyle”. Some of the things which I feel each one of you can do when it does come to staying healthy at work are -

Be active: What I have noticed over the years is that most people at work tend to sit for too much of their time either slouched in front of the computers or in meetings. The idea is to be more innovative and create small pockets of time during the work day where you can either stand or even walk and work(in case you are on long conference calls).Some of my clients over the years have become so active at work that they never feel lethargic anymore, since they move around a lot.

Take the stairs: This is one habit which I had worked on immediately to inculcate when I was in a regular job. I always ensured, I walked up and down the steps even if it was 3-4 floors at times. While stair-climbing doesn’t consume all that many calories, it does cause your heart to work harder, thereby improving your circulation and your overall health. However do ensure that you take one step at a time since one tends to burn more calories this way rather than climbing couple of steps at one go.

Snack on fruit: Most of the office pantries are filled with processed & unhealthy foods. Ensure you carry some kind of fruit and munch on to it when you feel the hunger pangs. Most fruits also contain loads of antioxidants which will help you in the long run.Look at options where you can carry fruits which does not need to be refrigerated and always ensure you eat fresh fruits and not the ones which is cut in the morning or even previous night.Most of the nutrients is lost due to oxidation.

Include green tea breaks: Green tea without any refined sugar is a great drink at work, especially since it is almost zero calories and most importantly, loaded with anti-oxidants. Having couple of cups a day at work not only refreshes you, but also helps remove negative energy from the Nervous system. You can be experimental and include flavored Green tea which will keep the taste buds asking for more in no time.

Breathe more deeply: Most people have a habit of taking short gasps instead of long deep breathing. Over a period of time this becomes a habit which triggers your body to believe that you are under constant stress even when nothing particularly stressful is going on. Breathing deeply calms you down but more importantly, it helps ensure that plenty of oxygen is getting into your lungs and into your blood stream. This in turn helps your brain to work more efficiently.

Stretch regularly: The Human body is not designed to sit down for a long periods of time. Unfortunately I know of people who sit and do not even move out of their chair for hours together. Make it a practice, to move out of your chair for couple of minutes an hour and if possible stand and work. This simple strategy has worked wonders for me and some of my own clients over the years. Initially it was tough for me, but now it has become a habit which I enjoy and incorporate at work myself. Keep a reminder or download an App but do what it is necessary to be active at work.

Be more optimistic: I am a strong believer that optimism is a far healthier state to be in, rather than being angry or frustrated. Work on this one aspect and I will guarantee you, that a lot of areas around your work life will eventually fall in place. Having absolute control on one’s emotions is critical and it opens the door towards a “healthy you” especially at the workplace.

I hope you have figured out some positive takeaways to work on being healthy at work irrespective of your schedule or even job profile. The action points discussed above can be incorporated by just about anybody who has an intention to walk the healthy path. Will look forward to hearing from you in terms of “How you are working on making yourself and your team members healthy in your own way through my Facebook Fan page or at coach@satishrao.in I would be glad to speak to some of you, if you would want me to come and speak to you in person and do some Group Wellness Coaching seminars .Do reach out to me in case you feel this would be helpful to you and your respective teams in the organisation.

It Is Time For Something Called As Change In Life

Over the years when people with genuine issues or those who were just stuck in life used to reach out to me and then disappear, it used to frustrate me no end. It does not any more. Not that I do not have people contacting me now and doing the same, it is just that over the years I have realized that changing another person is a difficult and a frustrating task if they are not completely ready for a change.

What I have learnt myself over the years is that no matter what ever is your perception, what really matters is theirs and theirs alone. Most of our habits and behaviors have been developed over the years and what I do notice in people is that some of the dis-empowering habits are inculcated as a defense mechanism. However when one looks at the bigger picture, the payoff in the long run does not even cross the minds of many people because they would have never seen it through this view. What can one do, to ensure that they do take some meaningful actions towards their biggest challenges even though they know somewhere at the deeper level (sub conscious) that they are in quicksand and slowly sinking.

Get a perspective: Self awareness is the key, to long term change. I for one strongly believe that you can’t change something which you cannot see. Hence a new perspective on yourself to look at your own life and see what’s not working for you works amazingly well. If you do have a good circle of friends or an acquaintance who you feel might not take advantage of your predicament, then do approach them and get a perspective on the area where you require drastic changes.

Uncover the history: When you dig in deep, usually we will find the clue in the recent past. Finding the root of your emotional habits will equip you to make different choices. Conscious choice is incredibly empowering and that is where Life Coaching as a catalyst plays a critical role in making people take decisions to change initially at a conscious level and then at a much deeper Sub-conscious level.

Be clear as to what you intend to change: Once you Zero down on the area you intend to change, ensure you write down the 3 most important areas where you intend to work on changing. There is magic in clarity and I believe that with clarity in the thought process, doing the necessary course correction is just a step away.I work on this one strategy on more than regular basis and has helped me immensely.

Hang in there for 3 weeks: working on changing an emotional habit for 3 weeks and sticking with it, will eventually lead you towards a permanent change. I have gone through this journey many a time and have done whatever it requires to stay on course. Track your progress, journal it or even inform your close circle of friends about the change you intend to do and stick by it, whatever happens. At the end of about 3 weeks it will be completely rewritten at the sub-conscious level and you will begin to do it automatically.Once you overcome the first 3 weeks of timeline,then it is a different journey altogether.I can guarantee you that you will be surprised with yourself during this time.

Focus on the bigger payoff: For any change to happen there has to be a bigger motive. Work on this and first create this in your mind. Looking deeper is the key over here. Honestly list all the reasons why you may be unconsciously resisting change. Then list the benefits of changing. Seeing both sides of the picture is the only way to “get it”. This approach has bought in some amazing insights with my own clients and I consider this to be a very powerful approach in change management. What I have noticed over the years is that by working on this approach it has helped not only me but also many of my own clients to help them get unstuck in their own life.

Ultimately what is important is that as an individual, you need to step up first for the process of change to happen. It is very much like a journey of a Thousand miles that begins with one single step. I sincerely hope each one of you begin your own journey in changing the things which are holding you back. If you do feel that you or someone close to you is struggling to work on changing their own emotional baggage then point them towards me and i would be grateful. I would love to hear from you as to What is one thing you would love to change or have changed on my Facebook Page or at coach@satishrao.in.