The word 'intent' comes from the Latin 'intendere', which means to “stretch forward.” When you set your intent, you are opening the doors to create the kinds of life experiences that you want to have.

Setting your intent is about directing your focus in the present moment toward a future outcome. Because of the constantly changing environment of your life, setting your intent is an ever renewing process.

Your intentions are thoughts, and your thoughts are energy. The nature of your intentions will determine specifically how you experience your own reality. As such, your intention is like a filter for your experiences.

Setting your intention is quite different from establishing goals or objectives. It should precede any form of goal setting activity. Goal setting is your ability to act upon your intention. When you are clear about your true intention, you will automatically guide your attention toward those experiences that you choose to manifest in your life.

Let’s say for example that you are going to attend an important networking event and your intent is to have fun and connect with people, you will then naturally attract these kinds of experiences.

Setting your intention is making a conscious and committed decision to attract certain experiences and outcomes in your life, even when you are not sure how or when these will manifest in your life.

All too often we get so obsessed in reaching a certain goal or expecting an outcome to manifest a certain way, that we miss out on opportunities presented to us – right here, right now – and fail to notice the synchronicities and new resources along the way.

Imagine traveling to a certain destination, and because you’re going too fast, you not only miss the beautiful scenery along the way, but you also miss a sense of where you are now and why you are going to your destination in the first place.

Integrity means that you do what you say you will do, and authenticity means that you mean what you say. When you are grounded in intention, you establish high integrity and authenticity in your life.

When your thoughts and intention are conflicted you will have conflicted experiences, because your outer world is a reflection of your inner world.

Setting intent is a powerful tool in creating the life you choose. You can set your intent before important meetings, or simply state your intent before you start your day.

What is it that you intend or wish for? What kind of experiences would you like to manifest?
Some examples of intent could be to have fun, to connect with people, to learn, to explore, to be caring, to be healthy, to help others, to heal yourself, to grow, …

Your life is a continuous process of creating, becoming, choosing, and changing.

Creativity is not just a term to describe writers, artists or musicians. Each and every one of us has been given this innate ability to create and re-create ourselves, not just initially, but as a continuous process throughout life.

This self organizing and creative ability is what gives us enormous freedom of self expression. This freedom allows you to choose any form or shape, and create meaning out of endless possibilities.

Over time, you have used this innate creative freedom of choice to develop habits, create beliefs, behaviors and routines, which shape your unique identity and way of being. The person you are today is an expression of who you decided to become.

The image you hold about yourself becomes your identity. It is shaped by your past experiences, values, beliefs, capabilities, and your sense of purpose. It is from this unique point of (self) reference that you see and interpret the world around you.

Most people live their lives consistent with their self image, and will do anything to live and validate their lives within the self-imposed boundaries they have created.

You cannot change any behavior, habit or belief that is holding you back without changing the image you hold about yourself. Every positive act of change in your life is always fostered by a change in self-perception. So unless you're committed to deal with all the stuff inside of you that is running your life, nothing you say or do will create long lasting results.  

What is standing between you and your goals, dreams and aspirations are not circumstances, opportunities or luck, but the assumptions you have made about yourself.

Think for a moment about an assumption you hold about your self that is preventing you from getting what you really want, and ask yourself: "Who would I be without that thought?"

It is in the answer to this fundamental question that you will start to discover that you might be more of who you are by becoming something different!

Have a great week.

What are the little things around your home that need minor repair, but for some reason you are tolerating them and are procrastinating to fix them?

Maybe it is squeaking door, a room that needs to be repainted, a loose drawer handle…. I'm sure you can think of many more. These could be minor things that you have learned to tolerate and put up with every day of your life. Think of them as the background noise in your life. You have come to accept them as part of your environment!

Now stop and think for moment and ask yourself: "What are some of the things I put up with at work, in my personal life, in my social environment or in my relationships? What are the things I wish would resolve themselves somehow?"

Perhaps you are tolerating a certain situation at work because you want to avoid a possible confrontation with a manager or a co-worker. Maybe you tolerate a certain situation or a little annoyance within your relationship so that the other person will approve of you. Maybe you are unhappy with the way someone is treating you. What do you tolerate from yourself?

Sometimes it is easier to ignore your 'tolerations' rather than to take the necessary action to clean them up. When you allow those 'tolerations' to hang around in your life, they will slowly but surely drain your energy and show up under the form of stress and anxiety. They can chip away at your self-esteem, confidence and enthusiasm.

Here are a few life coaching tips to help with the process:

• Step back for a moment and become clear about all the things you will no longer tolerate in your life.
• Make a list of 10 things that you are putting up with. Ask yourself what each is costing you in terms of energy, confidence and enthusiasm?
• Resolve to take action. The decision to act on 'tolerations' is very liberating and will improve the quality of your life.
• Set target dates and make time in your schedule to overcome your 'tolerations'.
• Seek the support  from friends, family or a personal life coach to keep you focused and stay on track.

Living a life you want not only means choosing the things you want but also eliminating the things that are hanging around in your life that you no longer want.

Now is the perfect time to do some personal housecleaning, and remove some of the clutter around your house, at work or in your relationships.

When you resolve to stop putting up, you will find a renewed sense of freedom and balance in your life.

Have a great weekend!

What does it mean to be congruent?

Congruency is derived from the Latin verb 'congruere', which means 'to meet together' or 'to agree'.

Being congruent is when, who you are (values and beliefs), what you say, and what you do is in agreement or harmony.

At a deeper level, personal congruency exists when your true desires (intention), your thoughts (attention), feelings and actions are aligned with your core values. Only then can you move toward balance in your life and experience more joy, fun and fulfillment. Congruence is about honoring the deeper truth within you.

When your heart wants to go one direction, and your mind goes into a different direction, then the body gets stuck in the middle. This causes stress, inner turmoil and disease.

• In what areas of your life do you feel that you are not being congruent?
• Where do you experience stress or inner conflict?
• When are you not being true to yourself? What is missing?
• What values are being violated?
• What would you like to have more of in your life? What would you need to let go of?

How can we go about becoming more congruent? Consider the following life coaching tips.

First, become mindful of your intentions.

Your energy in life is directed by your intentions, which create the reality you experience. When you have conflicting intentions, you will experience conflicting thoughts, which result in stress and anxiety. Every desire to change in your life starts with the intention to do so.

Setting your intent is very different than just wishing or wanting something. Notice the profound difference between, "I wish I could change this", and "I intend to change this."

Second, pay attention to your most dominant thoughts.

The structure of your thoughts is revealed through your internal dialog. You can dramatically change the quality of your life when you develop inner voices that serve and support your true intentions. A simple way to find out whether or not your inner thoughts are supporting or limiting you, ask yourself: "Would I say the same words to a friend, family member or a colleague who needs my support?"

Third, the truth is often found in the body.

Have you ever had a knot in your stomach, or experienced butterflies in your stomach? Or perhaps you have felt uncomfortable being around certain people?
Have you ever made a decision with your head when your body was telling you something different? What was the result?

During my life coaching conversations,I often ask my coaching clients to get out of their head and into their body. I would ask questions like: "What is your gut telling you?", or "What does your heart tell you about this?" The answers are often very insightful and liberating!
 
Choose to be congruent, rather than consistent!

Is there a business case for cultivating and nourishing passion in your organization? Could passion really be a competitive advantage? Can passion make a difference in terms of accomplishing your business goals and objectives?

You'd better believe it!

Passion is such an important ingredient in any recipe for success, but it is often overlooked when it comes to business success. Perhaps because passion is one of those words that sound a little out of place in the work environment.

I'm convinced that passion is often the difference that makes the difference. It is often the difference between a good company and a great company.

Consider the following benefits.

Passion intensifies focus.

In a complex world where we're moving ahead at ".com"speed and in which we get bombarded with information, it's easy to get distracted. Passion gives people the courage to say "no" to distractions by staying focused on the bigger "yes." Passion is the magnetic force that pulls people together for a common vision or cause.

Passion unleashes creativity.

Innovation and creativity are key factors in adding value to the customers you serve. Approaching your business with a new perspective requires you to be fully awake, fully alive and fully present. Passion is what activates your mind, expands your awareness and challenges you to think outside the conventional box.

Passionate people raise the standards of performance.

Passionate people keep themselves and others accountable and tolerate nothing less than a 100% commitment. This commitment to a higher standard becomes contagious and spreads throughout the system, and eventually becomes part of a company culture. People with passion create an electric, exciting work environment that inspires and energizes others. They consciously contribute to building the kind of culture that attracts world-class people. A culture people want to belong to.

Passion conquers fear.

When your passion is greater than your fear, you develop the courage to step outside your comfort zone, risk more, fail faster and learn like crazy.  

Perhaps the most exciting benefit that comes from cultivating passion in your organization is the contagious enthisiasm it generates. Something so alive in them awakens something that needs to be alive in us.

Passionate people inspire hope and that's one of the reasons they're so much fun to be around.

How passionate are you?? ...

In today's global and interconnected world, there is an urgent need to build bridges between people of different cultures, faith, traditions, and worldviews.

Building bridges starts within your own circle of influence; your family and friends, your local community, your colleagues at work, etc.

The quality of your relationships is built upon your ability to communicate with others through genuine dialogue.

Think of the process of dialogue as a bridge. A bridge has 4 solid anchor points. In order to build bridges to other people, there are 4 anchor points or qualities that need to be in place. When all these qualities are present, every conversation has the potential to be transformed into dialogue.
 
1. Trust

There needs to be a high level of mutual trust. The only way to build a high level of trust is by building rapport with the other person.
 
Have you ever talked with someone and for some reason felt you couldn't trust that person? What was missing? Were you able to honestly open up with that person? Probably not.

2. Equality

In order to engage in a genuine dialogue with one another, we need to treat each other as equals. Often you see people in positions of authority deceive themselves into thinking that they are treating people as equals, when they are actually not doing so. It takes more than a round table to create the kind of equality needed to establish a true dialogue.

3. Empathy

Empathy is the ability to listen at a deeper level. It's the ability to walk in someone else's shoes. Listening with empathy is the ability to understand someone else's thoughts and feelings, without judgment. The moment we judge, we push aside any opportunity for positive change.

Many personal and business relationships break down because people lack the skill, motivation, or the patience to truly listen at a deeper level. Understanding precedes change.

4. Bringing assumptions and beliefs into the open

Have you ever assumed something about someone or something and later found out that you were completely wrong? The beliefs we hold and the assumptions we make define our highly conditioned view of the world.

When you are able to speak openly and honestly about the beliefs you hold and the assumptions you make, you can build a deeper understanding based on mutual respect.
 
In many personal conflicts, it is often about values and beliefs, not people. The values we hold are expressed through the beliefs that support them.

When you build trust, listen with empathy, and are willing to talk openly about assumptions, you will create an opening for mutual understanding that cannot be created any other way.

Success is a State of Mind
Building a Foundation for Your Future 
 

Dieter Pauwels, a St. Louis based Life & Business Coach  joins Deepak Chopra, Mark Victor Hansen & Les Brown in the new release of "Success is a State of Mind" - Building a Foundation for Your Future! 

About the book:
 
Success does not have easily defined boundaries. It's as varied as those who attempt to define it. Find out what some of the most successful people believe about success in this remarkable book, Success is a State of Mind.
You will learn elements that are critical to your success journey such as good communication, how to conquer fear, how to break out of "business as usual," and how to become unstoppable.
 
You will discover how to uncover your true gifts, which involves changing your limiting beliefs and creating new empowering ones that will enable you to honor your values and live the life you truly want.

You will be entertained as you learn new ways to look at the concept of success.

Success is a State of Mind will expand your knowledge and open up new channels of information from others who are well established in their success journeys.
 
Remember, a success mindset in action translates possibilities into success. Take advantage of this book and the valuable information these authors have to share.

They are not just students of life, business, and of success-they are active participants.
And so are you!

For more information, visit http://www.dieterpauwels.com/SuccessIsAStateofMind.aspx

In his book 'The Alchemist', Paulo Coelho tells the story of a young man named Santiago who had a dream and the courage to follow it. In it, Santiago set out on a quest to search for a hidden treasure that leads him to the pyramids of Egypt.

His convictions were continuously tested, but his persistence and courage won out. Through the trials he endured, by the end of this beautiful and inspirational story, Santiago discovered that the real treasure in life "lies where your heart belongs."

Santiago's courage helped him to realize that the real treasure was the journey itself, together with all the knowledge he acquired and the discoveries he made along the way.

We too are on a quest for hidden treasure in our lives. Many of us though, get sidetracked by the glitz and glamour of material treasures. We fill ourselves up with things in an effort to comfort ourselves, live up to an idealized image, and/or prove our self worth. We fail to see the real treasure in our lives - our health, values, successes, failures, challenges, discipline, balance, fulfillment, etc...

The real treasures are those things that we discover through introspection and experience, not those we pick off a shelf or order off of eBay.

Think of all the wondrous insights you would miss if you moved through life without taking time to acknowledge the potential gifts experience bestows on you. If you rush through life with a specific outcome in mind, you risk ignoring or obscuring the obvious treasures lying in your path. Just like windshield washers furiously wipe away the rain, we furiously cast aside experiences we deem negative, bad or undesirable.

When we dismiss events that happen in our life, we miss out on the opportunity to learn from them. Some of the most painful experiences turn out to carry the most invaluable lessons as well. If you have the courage and faith to keep an open mind, you will realize you don't know where your journey will take you. When there is no set road map for you to follow, it takes courage, commitment, faith and discipline to take the road less traveled. On that road great gifts are created and revealed.

These are the gifts your true treasure is made of. Your challenge is to identify the gifts you have been given, and figure out a way to use those gifts to invite personal fulfillment and satisfaction into your life.

Here are some life coaching ideas for preparing to rise to the occasion.

1. Identify those things in life that you truly treasure - the things that will motivate you to move forward and follow your own path.
2. Identify the things that you need to leave behind in order to fully experience the journey - the things that keep you in your comfort zone, that are safe and familiar.
3. Identify the sacrifices you are willing to make for sake of the journey - the things you cherish that you are willing to give up in order to move from good to great.

You can only find the treasure within yourself if you are prepared to take the journey. Pursue this quest in every area of your life. Reconnect with the hidden treasure that is already within you. Only by fully experiencing the journey will you uncover the path to your hidden treasure and ultimately your genuine success. You need to have faith that riches beyond your wildest imagination are within your grasp. All it takes to access them is an open mind, a willing spirit, and a sense of adventure.

Bon Voyage!

It is said that a journey to Peru is a journey to re-connect with your authentic self.  

Many people consider their trip to the sacred sites as a vital point in their lives. 
Our travels took us to the power places of Cusco, Ollantaytambo, Sacred Valley, Moray and the sacred sites around Machu Picchu. We were lead in centuries of old Inca rituals and ceremonies.

Jorge Luis Delgado, an Inca Spiritual Teacher and author of the book “Andean Awakening: An Inca Guide to Mystical Peru” joined us on our journey through the land of the Incas, the Children of the Sun. 

In his book, Don Jorge tells of how the earth is experiencing a new sunrise after 500 years of darkness, and that the light of the new dawn is causing people everywhere to awaken and seek the truth of who they are. This spiritual awakening that is occurring all over the world is called the new PachaKuti, or the cycle of the Cosmos, and is considered to have begun in 1992, 500 years after the Spanish arrived in the New World.

During our trip, he also shared with us the hidden truths of the ancient Inca laws of Munay, Llancay and Yacha, as a means to return to the essence of our authentic self.

I was deeply moved by the way our Peruvian guide shared these ancient principles with us and I felt that it was important for me to share them with you and others. 

1. Munay (Love)

According to Inca belief, “Munay is the flowing of the natural love of the Cosmos for all things. It is the love for all of creation.” 
Love is about gratitude and respect.

This truth teaches us that even if you disagree with someone, or disapprove of someone’s behavior, or you feel that someone has done you harm in some way, you can still respect others for what is theirs, their feelings and their dignity. You cannot control what others will do or say, yet you are solely responsible and accountable for the way you respond to the circumstances and events in your life.

The energetic vibration of Munay is positive, and the only way to experience Munay or Love is to practice it. 
Not as a means to and end, but as an end in itself.

In order to open your heart and expand the love for yourself and others, you have to love without fear, by releasing and letting go of the heavy emotional energies, such as pain, regret, guilt, self-doubt  and jealously.

Releasing these negative energies allow you to become fully ‘awake’ and experience the present moment as ‘All That Is.”

2. Llancay (Work / Service)

According to Inca traditions, work or ‘Llancay’ is an expression of interacting with, and taking care of the creation.

Work is viewed as an opportunity for the individual expression of the essence (unique gifts and talents) and purpose of each person, so that we can bring abundance and prosperity to everybody.

Service is about finding joy in expressing the greatness of your own gifts and talents.  Through the work you do, you have an opportunity to creatively express your true nature.

3. Yacha (Wisdom)

Yacha or wisdom, according to this ancient tradition, is known and experienced with the heart, rather than known with the intellect. You can attain the inner wisdom of your own spiritual path by practicing the first two principles of Love and Service.

Spend a few moments in silence each morning, facing east, turning your attention inwards and set a special intention for the day.  Then open your heart to the insights and gifts you will receive in response to your intentions.

When you quiet down the chatter in your mind, you will go beyond the surface of judgment, comparison and limiting beliefs. It is in those moments that authentic truth and wisdom can be found.

Open your heart to reclaim the joy of your inner spirit and welcome the endless possibilities contained in the Love, Service and Wisdom of the timeless cosmic message of the ancient Incas.