What about our personal core values?

Core values and our natural strengths, for the most part, may not be something that we are aware of or ever really think about. We may hear about the core values of the companies we work for and may have even written up some for our own businesses.

What about our personal core values? 

For whatever reason a lot of the messages we hear throughout our lives are NOT about how to claim our power. We hear messages like, “don’t let your head get too big, that is egotistical, who do you think you are, don’t brag and quit being a show off…”

I know for myself personally the first time my coach asked me what my core values and natural strengths were, I had no idea. In fact, I was so frustrated with this question it even seemed I was refusing to claim what my core values or strengths were.  It took me months before I was willing to acknowledge them. I remember yelling at my coach and on one call even hung up on him. I was a tough client.

It has been a journey over the last 9 years to learn and explore, down to the core, who I am. I am still exploring.

I truly believe that the foundation to happiness, growth and success is understanding and acknowledging what gives us energy and fulfillment in our personal and business life.

Which is why I am introducing you to this formula:
Natural Strengths + Core Values x Purpose = Passion

What are you naturally talented at? Things that come so easily to you that you might not even notice them. Maybe they are things that others say about you.

“You are a great listener, numbers come easy to you, you are creative; etc… “

What are the things that give you fulfillment in your life? What puts a smile on your face? What gives you energy?

A purpose can be the purpose in the moment, the purpose in a goal, and yes, even the purpose in your life.

Are you ready to start exploring? Check in with yourself right now. Do you feel excited, nervous or maybe even a little desire to avoid? All are very natural feelings. Just know that if you were not ready you would not have read through this whole email!

Your coach and partner,
Corinne McElroy

 

 

Most Told Me I Was Crazy

Most Told Me I Was Crazy 

I had a friend call me a while back and say “You did what many of us wanted to and didn’t.” This person honored me with their call because many believe it is impossible to follow and achieve a dream.

I started my business, Edge Of Change, a little over 8 years ago in a time when the financial economy in the USA was very uncertain. I had a very good job that many people told me I was crazy to leave. But I still followed my dream to be a business owner that could create and make a difference. I believed in myself so I did it. Have there been ups and downs along the way .. OH HELL Yeah! And, it is still my dream.

One year ago my husband and I sold 98% of everything we owned, got an RV and hit the road. I remember being so excited. I told everybody. Many were excited for me, and there were many that again thought we were crazy. One young woman’s response to me was “WOW, how irresponsible.” I thought to myself “Really, am I being irresponsible?” I had not thought about it that way at all and then I smiled and thought “GREAT!! I am ok with that”.

I have learned… Sometimes when we step out of the norm it seems a bit crazy but it is what is needed to create and achieve the impossible; or at least what others see as impossible.

I also learned it is much easier to do the impossible when you surround yourself with positive support and community.

So how about you? What is your impossible dream? What must you do to achieve your dream that others most likely will think is crazy?

I am asking you to question the impossible so you can achieve what you really want. 

It most likely won’t be as scary as it seems. Everything you’re worried about happening, won’t.

It might seem intimidating—putting yourself out there, taking the chance, doing something new, going all in, showing up, asking for help, connecting with strangers, and, ultimately, gambling your ego and everything you know to be true. There will be a lot of resistance that pulls you in other directions to stay small, curl up and stay comfortable.

You may ask yourself “Why make the effort when I do not have to?”

The thing about comfort zones, however, is that they’re only comfortable for so long. The longer you stay in them, the more uncomfortable they become. And sometimes, the best form of comfort comes in knowing that you don’t need it anymore.

I encourage you to find relief through uncertainty.

Welcome to the edge!

Corinne McElroy CPCC, ORSC

Are You in a Habit of Action or Inaction?

Action is fascinating because action is habitual.  You can be in the habit of action or the habit of inaction – both having dramatically different results.  The more you create the habit of action, the more action you take.  And the more you create the habit of inaction, the harder it is to get started.

Which habit are you in? What holds you back?  All it takes is that first step.  Then another step.

No one EVER said it has to be the right step because you can adjust along the way.  It just has to be a step,  and all the rest will work itself out.

What is the moral of this story? Do not wait until your perfect plans are made and your fears are gone.

The perfect time is now.   Take the first step, then make the other steps a habit.

To your success and happiness
Corinne McElroy

What are YOU expecting?

The other day I was telling someone a story about something that had happen to me years ago. As I was getting to the part where I was the victim I realized “wow I’m still telling that story as if I WAS the victim”

If you have not heard of “reframing” or “cognitive restructuring” I would look into it. There is a lot of good work being done with it.

Then I thought, because of those “stories” I am already expecting something.  In almost every situation I find I have some sort of expectation. Meaning that I still look through those “rose colored glasses” or whatever color glasses my stories happen to tint them.  And, because of that, I am expecting some sort of something, good bad or indifferent.

Corinne calls those glasses BS. (our Belief System through which we filter everything.)

I do not mean to, sometimes it just happens if I’m not being open to the moment being new (if that makes sense). Then I realized I’m not just expecting something because of my BS, I’m accepting it as well.

Since then I’ve been looking at “What am I expecting? What am I accepting?” and “Is this the story I want to tell?” So, knowing I can’t get more then I will accept. I’m working on not expecting anything and accepting only what is best for me.

Whew! Epiphanies come when you least expect them. I’ll accept that.

What were you expecting?

Well, whatever it was I hope you will accept a gift from us here at Edge Of Change.  It is Corinne’s birthday this month and in Hobbit tradition she wanted to give everyone a birthday present. Not that I’m calling her a Hobbit just that she really liked those stories.

Mike McElroy

Click here to get Corinne’s gift to you (no strings attached)

The Flip Side of Personal Growth

The Flip Side of Personal Growth

flip-side-of-personal-growth

I have been guilty of it too many times to count. When I am working on a tough, deeply personal  goal that involves changing something about myself, I tend to get wrapped up in my own challenges. After all, it is my struggle. Nobody else can experience the frustrations or victories I feel in my pursuit of this goal, yet I know that everyone will feel the benefits of my success. Whether I am working on creating a successful business, earning a promotion or breaking a bad habit, I am motivated by the thought of creating a better life for the people I love. Chances are, you too get stuck in this train of thought too. Unfortunately, this focus on our own quest to achieve a goal often proves to be the one thing that prevents us from achieving it, and that’s because like everything else in life, personal growth cannot happen in a vacuum.

As we all know, personal growth involves getting outside of our comfort zone. We have to get out on the skinny branches in order to achieve something new and we can sometimes become blind to other people when we are busy charting a new course. Our focus on getting our of our own comfort zone makes us forget the flip side of this – that our comfort zone has become a part of the comfort zones of other people and we probably forgot to ask them to step out of their comfort zone with us. For example, when my daughters were young I started to lose weight. As a person who has struggled with weight most of my life this was a huge accomplishment for me and I was feeling fabulous. Then my youngest told me that I didn’t feel like mommy anymore and I started to believe that my husband wouldn’t like the thinner me either. I had lost a number of bonding activities with my girlfriends as I had been spending more time at the gym than I had with them and it suddenly felt like achieving this goal wasn’t worth everything I felt myself to be losing. So I gained back the weight, and some extra, and now I still have the goal of getting to a healthier weight and the guilt of a previous failure along with it. Additionally, I know that my loved ones would have loved the new me anyway.

Over the years of coaching I have seen many other people quit on their goals for the same reason I did. Fear that the achievement of it would come at too high of a cost, a fear that can only infect our thinking when we have forgotten to invite others into our change process. We need to recognize that our personal decision to change will make other people have to change too. They have to change their reactions to our behaviors, their estimation of us and they have to redefine themselves in relation to us.

Understanding this before and during our growth process makes the achievement of our goals exponentially easier. By thinking about the impact we have on others and asking them to join us in our quest to be a better person we simultaneously accomplish two things. We have shown the respect to those in our lives by inviting them in and we have created a support system for us as we start to climb our own Mt. Everest.

Coaches Challenge:

Whatever your mountain is think of everyone who you want at the summit with you. What considerations do you need to give them as you start your change process and how can you enlist them in the process? What concessions do you have to make for others to be a part of your team? Remember that the involvement of those that love you will be the one thing that makes achieving your goal possible.