If life were a game, how can you win?
Like every game, there are a certain set of rules that must be followed.  There are points to score.  Penalties to avoid.  And if you want to be really successful at the game, then you want to study and understand all the rules.

But when it comes to winning in the game of life, just what are the rules – and what happens when we don’t choose to play by them?
The simple answer is that there is no one set of rules that everyone has to follow to win at life.  Sure, we may have cultural, legal and even social rules, but these pale in comparison to the rules of leading a successful and fulfilling life.  These rules of the game are a bit harder to figure out, simply because these rules are made – and can be broken – by you.

Let’s face it: when we live by someone else’s rules, we can never truly enjoy a rewarding personal and professional life.  For example, if you’re continually striving to live by the rules of someone who’s been a major success in your field or industry, then you’ll never get the opportunity to experience what it’s like to trail-blaze your own path.  You’re living life by someone else’s game rules – and because you’re not that person, you’re setting yourself up to lose.

Let’s look at an example of someone who’s certainly living by his own set of rules: Charlie Sheen.  No matter what your opinion may be about him, there’s no denying that he makes and succeeds at his own game.  When CBS booted him off of his wildly successful sitcom "Two and a Half Men," he didn’t beg for them to take him back.  Instead, he made a different set of rules by launching an extremely popular viral video channel and comedy tour worth millions of dollars.  His catchphrases are so beloved that they’ve even made their way into our cultural zeitgeist ("winning" and "tiger blood" are a few that come to mind). 

Now how does this relate to our personal lives?  While you don’t have to go to the extent of Charlie Sheen (in fact, as a personal life coach I wouldn’t recommend it), it’s important to define success on your own terms, not others.  Playing by another person’s set of rules is tiring – after all, no game is enjoyable when you can’t possibly win at it. 

By changing the rules of the game – or playing a different game altogether – you’re already on a path to winning at the game of life.

On Wednesday April 28, professional life and business coach, author and speaker, Dieter Pauwels will engage an audience at the Focal Point in St. Louis, MO in a special thought provoking and high-impact dialogue on how to navigate through uncertainty toward a new path of personal discovery and growth.

With the right tools, skills and mindset there are ways to navigate the rough waters of uncertainty in your life.

You might be transitioning, re-evaluating or just searching for a new perspective in your personal or professional life. You could be looking for direction in your business or you might be an individual determined to create new possibilities through self discovery and growth.

Embrace the growing pains that come with self discovery and find your balance on the beam of life!

You'll learn ...

• 7 universal principles that govern the creative process
• How to plan for the future without knowing what it will be
• Counter-intuitive strategies to reduce feelings of anxiety, fear and stress
• Personal life skills to become more resilient in times of change
• Practical ideas on thriving during uncertain times and circumstances
• How to embrace uncertainty as an opportunity to reshape your life with a deeper sense of fulfillment and joy.

Space is limited - Registration Required
To register online click here

The launch of News 11 at Noon on April 6 marked a new venture into the daytime news market for the station. Anchored by KPLR's well respected news veteran Christine Buck, the one-hour program highlights local news, national headlines, live breaking news, weather and daily features. Christine Buck, who has been with the station for over 30 years has been honored and recognized for her work as well as her community involvement.

Joining Christine Buck each day on News 11 at Noon is Chief Meteorologist, John Fuller, who provides in-depth weather reports as well as news features on a regular basis. Fuller, who has been with KPLR-TV since November 2008, brings a loyal following from his many years as a popular meteorologist in the market.

Life and Career Coach, Dieter Pauwels will appear every Friday on KPLR-TV's News 11 at Noon. You can watch the daily highlights of each show at http://www.cw11tv.com/news/noon_show

Remember the last time you were at a networking event or a reception and you were introduced to someone, yet within a few minutes after the introduction you could not remember her name? Or you were having dinner and someone you met before walked into the restaurant, but you could not recall his name? Does that sound familiar? What did you do?

1. Focus

The neurological pathway in the brain that is used to process your internal dialogue is the same pathway used for selective listening. Have you ever attended a presentation but you were so caught up with other thoughts that you didn’t hear a word that was being said?

Focus your attention fully on the other person while they’re saying their name. Look the person in the eyes for a few seconds while shaking their hand firmly.

2. Listen and repeat

Listen attentively to the person saying their name and repeat their name back to them. If you’re not sure how to spell the name, ask them to spell it out for you. Rest assured, people love to say their name!

3. Visualize

Pick your favorite color (mine is blue), and imagine writing their name in big bright letters on their forehead.  Keep this image in your mind anywhere between 5 and 10 seconds. Make sure you don’t use small letters as they are harder to read and remember.

While seeing the name clearly printed on their forehead, repeat the name to yourself silently a couple of times. It also helps to use the same voice qualities of the person, and it makes it more fun.

4. Write it

The final step is to write the person’s name on your hip or in the air. I recommend you keep your hand movements fairly small …

Dieter Pauwels is a career life coach, speaker and author based in St. Louis, MO.
He facilitates personal and organizational transformation and works with both individuals and teams to create new possibilities, navigate change and maximize their productivity and personal effectiveness. 

"We travel the world in search of what we need, and return home to find it." 

I'm getting ready to return "home" to visit with family and friends. I'll be staying at a beautiful place called "Koningsteen", a wellness and training center in the heart of Belgium. My mother started this center over 10 years ago and my brother Steven is now running the day to day operations. 

I look forward to spending some time in my native country, away from all the politics and financial turmoil, and reflect some more on the impact of life coaching in today's world.

My webmaster and programmer, Larry Mrazek, of LCM Research  - a St. Louis based company that helps companies manage and develop web, ecommerce, database and market research projects - advised me to submit my life and business coaching blog to the social blogger community at Blogcatalog.com

It's one of the larger Blogger communities on the web and they just launched a new search engine allowing you to find more relevant blog articles on the topics of your choice.