How to Break a Generational Curse - Part I | eHow.com
Mood:  celebratory
Topic: Life Lessons

Families suffering from generational curses often do not recognize the demonic influence at work in their lives. Individuals who are most susceptible to these curses typically have strayed from the will of God and are no longer on the path to righteousness. Negative feelings of hopelessness, despair and lack of self-worth have set in due to long-term exposure to abuse at the hands of one or both parents and/or other close family members. The abuse becomes a learned behavior that takes a stronghold on their lives providing fertile ground to repeat the pattern of negativity with their own offspring. Continue reading How to Break a Generational Curse - Part I.

How to Save Time Cooking Meals | eHow.com
Topic: Life Lessons

Once upon a time, meals were a time to gather the family for good conversation and to share love. With today's hustle and bustle, meals are no longer revered as that time-honored tradition. Now it is hard enough to find the time just to prepare the meal, let alone eat it together. Here are some steps you can take to save time cooking meals in addition to recapturing quality time with your family. Read more about how to save time cooking meals.

How to Discover Your Purpose
Mood:  sharp
Topic: Life Lessons
Since the beginning of time people have been asking themselves a singular question, "why am I here?" The answer to this question can determine how happy one lives their life. Discovering your purpose; however, can be a difficult journey. These suggestions will help you to discover your purpose or, at the very least, identify what your passions might be. Read more on how to discover your purpose.

10 Stress Management Tips
Mood:  chillin'
Topic: Life Lessons

1.      Take the proactive approach: Stress can have a negative impact on your physical, mental and emotional health. You have a responsibility to yourself to maintain your well-being. Response-ability is the ability to choose your response.  You may not have any control over the situation and you can’t change the way people behave but you do have complete control over the way you respond.  Take the high road by readjusting your attitude toward more positive thinking.

2.      Laughter is the best medicine: Laughter is a great way to relieve stress.  You would be surprised at how much better you will feel after a great laugh.  If the situation is one in which a good belly burst would be inappropriate at the time, you can simply smile.  Both laughter and smiling provide a physical release of stress hormones such as cortisol, dopamine, adrenaline, epinephrine and the growth hormone.

3.      Forgive: Forgiveness is a sister to taking the proactive approach.  It is human nature to hold on to past hurts; however, by choosing to forgive the offender, you are actually releasing yourself from the stress associated with harboring grudges.  It takes much more time and energy to obsess over someone who has wronged you than it does to just move on.  Most likely he/she already has.  Realize people are only human and we all make mistakes from time to time.  That includes you so remember to also forgive yourself.

4.      Take a purposeful pause: A purposeful pause is a break away from your daily tasks with a specific intention in mind for that time.  The type of activity you choose to engage in during the “pause” is reliant on what you need at that time.  If your intention is to relax, then your purposeful pause could be meditation, prayer or a bubble bath.  If it is to reenergize, then the pause could be a nap or a coffee break.  A purposeful pause can be as long as an hour or as short as 5 minutes.  Try to work several purposeful pauses into your day.

5.      Exercise: Physical activity relieves stress in a couple of ways.  First, it offers a purposeful pause.  Secondly, it promotes better health which in turn aids the body in its ability to handle stress.  Take up yoga, join a gym or start walking.

6.      Eat well: Having a balanced diet packed full of energizing nutrients aids in combating stress.  Heart-healthy grains, fruits and veggies should be eaten regularly.  Also, drink plenty of water.  Steer clear of foods high in unhealthy fats, sugars and salt.  Caffeine should also be avoided.

7.      Tell the truth: Honesty really is the best possible.  Lies, even small ones, can place terrible stress on the mind.  It can be very difficult to keep up with lies and often more lies have to be told in order to maintain the initial one.  Dishonesty also puts undue stress on great relationships.

8.      Say NO: We often say “yes” to things we really don’t want to, either out of obligation or guilt.  It really is okay to just say “no”.  If a particular request takes you too far outside of your comfort zone then it is probably best to say no.  It is also better to simply say no than to take on a task that you don’t have time for.  You are much more productive when you only assume responsibility for those things that are important to you.

9.      Plan:  Time management skills are a great stress reduction tool.  Write important things down, maintain a schedule and stick to it.  Organize your files in a manner that makes them easily accessible and create a plan for routine maintenance.  Don’t forget to schedule time for you. Add your purposeful pauses to your planner.

10.  Delegate: You really can’t do it all by yourself much as you might think you can.  Learn the unique talents and strengths of those within your circle of influence and use that knowledge to share your tasks.  Doing less is quite often doing more.

 

 

© Copyright 2008 by Niquenya D. Fulbright - All rights reserved.

 

About the Author:

Niquenya D. Fulbright is a certified Christian executive life coach, management consultant, certified mediator, corporate trainer and motivational speaker specializing in inspiring small business owners, nonprofit leadership, entrepreneurs, executives, groups and individuals in a career or life transition to use their innate abilities to master their goals and achieve successes beyond their wildest dreams. http://www.niquenyafulbright.com/

Taking Pause
Mood:  happy
Topic: Life Lessons

Many people struggle with finding time to fit everything into their busy schedules.  We often neglect our health and well-being in favor of completing tasks.  We don’t exercise.  We don’t eat right.  We don’t even relax.   We think that we just don’t have the time to take pause in the midst of so much activity.  Meditative activities are so important to weave into our lives that I wanted to provide an even easier way to incorporate it.

Meditation doesn't take long hours of classes or workshops to learn how to do. It is a practice which means the more you do it the better you will become and the more benefits you can reap from it. To meditate, all you have to know how to do is to breathe, relax and think. Meditation is continuous and profound concentration on a single subject. It is to give something your complete, undivided attention. You don't need a quiet room or a special place to perform meditation. You don't need to be a student of Eastern Philosophy. You don't need to have a half hour of time devoted to it. You simply need to breathe, relax and think.

With breathe, relax and think as your criteria in mind, what activities do you enjoy that will allow you to incorporate these three elements? Almost anything! That is the great thing about meditation. There is no specified time or place. This means you can do it at work. You can do it at home. You can do it in the gym. It doesn't matter. Any time, any place and in any way you choose, you can breathe, relax and think.

Breathing is important because it is your life force. It is the way oxygen enters your body to be used by your blood cells for energy. When your blood cells don't have enough oxygen, they move sluggishly. If your cells are sluggish, they are slow to bring food to the many different areas of your body. If your body doesn't have enough nutrition, it can't work properly. The end result is that you feel fatigued, stressed, sick and often can't think straight. How many times have you felt that you can't concentrate until you get some food into your stomach? You have to breathe.

Relaxing involves allowing your body to calm itself down. It puts your mind, body and spirit at rest. Relaxing removes stress and allows your muscles to repair themselves. In this day and age, with so much hustle and bustle, we hardly ever give ourselves the permission to rest. Even after a grueling exercise regimen, experts suggest that you take off one day for every three to five to allow yourself time to recuperate. We stretch and tear our muscles during activity. This is why so many people are suffering from Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS). We never take the time to just sit and relax. So relax and let your mind, body and spirit heal itself.

Thinking invites clarity and focus. We can solve problems, make decisions and hear what our bodies are telling us. We can concentrate on specific issues that may be plaguing us in the form of worries. That dedicated time yields resolutions because you are relaxed. Your mind is quieted from all other noise and distraction. Your complete attention is devoted to the problem at hand. You can be more creative and inspired to determine a solution.

Meditation does not have to be difficult. It does not have to be an intensive task. You can do it in as little as five minutes. Its purpose is to bring clarity, improve health and achieve balance. To this end, you should find it much easier to incorporate meditation into your life. Simply breathe, relax and think.

 

© 2007 by Niquenya D. Fulbright - All Rights Reserved.  

About the Author: Niquenya D. Fulbright is a Chicago area executive life coach, professional speaker and corporate trainer with over 10 years experience specializing in motivating small business owners, entrepreneurs, executives, groups and individuals in a career or life transition to use their innate abilities to master their goals and achieve successes beyond their wildest dreams.  Niquenya wants to partner with you in building a bridge between your dreams and ultimate reality. For more information or to schedule a complimentary coaching session, visit http://www.niquenyafulbright.com, send inquiry to contactme@niquenyafulbright.com or call 773-368-3575.  All coaching sessions are performed via telephone.

How to Create Change in Others
Mood:  energetic
Topic: Life Lessons

The biggest challenge in creating change in others is realizing that you have no control over another person's mindset.  Change is an individual decision.  It can only be made through free will.  You can, however, be effective in instrumenting that change.

 

You must first get clear in what message you want to convey.  Your message must be presented in a way that is easily comprehended by your audience.  It is as much how you say it as what you say that is important.  When your message is unclear, it can instantaneously turn off your intended target.

 

Part of refining your message includes determining if you truly believe in it yourself.  Do you trust in the change you are trying to effect or are you just keeping up with the Jones?  If you do not truly believe in the direction you are attempting to lead others in, you will not be able to convincingly persuade anyone to move with you.  You can not speak confidently to your decisions if you are internally a skeptic.  Do not attempt to stand behind changes that you are unwilling to make.

 

Get clued in to your audience.  What do you know about this person or group?  Gauge their response to your message.  What verbal and non-verbal cues can you detect?  If your audience is not actively listening, what can you do to be heard?  Are they uncomfortable with your message?  How can you redirect your approach in such a way that it can be better received?

 

Finally, what benefits will the change bring?  Do you know what obstacles might surface?  Be as detailed as possible when you set about evoking change in others.  What expectations can they have?  How will the change come about?  People are more willing to accept change when they are well-prepared with a plan of action to help successfully implement that change.  What preparations can be made to make the transition smoother?  Arm them with tools and solutions so they can willingly embrace the change.

 

Change is inevitable.  The only things that don’t make change are vending machines when you are in a hurry.  Getting others to change with the tides of time can be difficult.  Deliver a clear, confident message along with a plan of action and you will find it much easier to facilitate change in others.

 

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© 2007 by -All Rights Reserved. Reprint permission granted only with the inclusion of these author bylines.

 

Niquenya D. Fulbright is a Chicago area executive life coach, professional speaker and corporate trainer with over 10 years experience specializing in motivating small business owners, entrepreneurs, executives, groups and individuals in a career or life transition to use their innate abilities to master their goals and achieve successes beyond their wildest dreams.  Niquenya wants to partner with you in building a bridge between your dreams and ultimate reality.

 

For more information or to schedule a complimentary coaching session, visit http://www.niquenyafulbright.com, send inquiry to contactme@niquenyafulbright.comor call 773-368-3575.  All coaching sessions are performed via telephone.

 

Purposeful Meditation
Mood:  chillin'
Topic: Life Lessons

Meditation is a powerful tool used by millions of people worldwide as a method to reduce stress, increase spiritual growth and impact overall health and wellness.  Unfortunately, there are many myths stigmatizing the art of meditation.  Meditation is often thought of as a “clearing of the mind”.  This could not be further from the truth.  Meditation is also often associated with the chanting of religious mantras.  This is only one type of meditation.  There are many different types of meditation and most have no association with any form of organized religion.  When performed regularly, meditation can be instrumental in centering one with their intended purpose and opening the mind to greater enlightenment.

 

Meditation, by definition, is continuous and profound concentration on a single subject.  It is to give something your complete, undivided attention.  The very meaning of the word does much to dispel the beliefs that meditation is meant to empty your head of any thought.  The purpose of meditation is to center oneself or to achieve balance.  It is to redefine your life’s focus.  It is to become in harmony with your purpose.  The act of meditation needs energy in the form of activity in order to be realized.  It is a practice meaning that you have to do something.

 

Activity is crucial to reaping the benefits of meditation.  The type of activity you choose to perform is based upon what benefits you hope to achieve.  What is your purpose?  If the purpose of the meditation is to increase spiritual growth, then the activity you perform could be prayer.  If the purpose of the meditation is to gain knowledge or enlightenment, then your activity could be reading.  If your purpose is to relieve stress, then your activity could be a visualization exercise.  Other activities can include: belly breathing, singing, yoga, martial arts, painting or any other action that requires your complete attention.  The point is that whatever type of activity you choose to perform as your meditation, it must be able to produce your desired benefits.  Your meditation should be purposeful.

 

What are the benefits of purposeful meditation?  Since it is not a “clearing of the mind”, meditation does not help you to escape your problems.  Just as in detrimental coping techniques such as alcohol or other substance abuse, your problems will still be there when you are finished.  What meditation can do is help you to gain clarity and focus, work out answers and solve problems with a “quieter” mind.  The human brain is such an intricate network of thought and emotion that it is often difficult to truly hear oneself think.  Focused, purposeful meditation allows you to dedicate your attention to concentrate on troubling issues without interruption.  Furthermore, a quieter mind permits your brain to increase its function by absorbing and processing information better.  Meditation also, because of any physical activity, promotes better oxygen intake, lowers the heart rate, reduces blood pressure and regulates the levels of cortisol, a hormone identified as a key culprit to inducing stress.

 

Purposeful meditation is a way to strengthen the mind, body and spirit.  It allows you to achieve balance and hear your own voice.  It is a journey of self-discovery.  You can not do it wrong so don’t beat yourself up when your mind wanders to other things.  It is the nature of the human brain to think.  Focused meditation takes practice.  Choose an activity that is comfortable, meaningful and that will allow you to achieve your intended purpose.  Start with short sessions of 10 or 15 minutes and work your way up to an hour.  Remember, purposeful meditation is just one tool to aid you in your journey to a happy, fulfilling life.

 

© 2007 by Niquenya D. Fulbright-All Rights Reserved.

 

About the Author:

Niquenya D. Fulbright is a Chicago area executive life coach, professional speaker and corporate trainer with over 10 years experience specializing in motivating small business owners, entrepreneurs, executives, groups and individuals in a career or life transition to use their innate abilities to master their goals and achieve successes beyond their wildest dreams.  Niquenya wants to partner with you in building a bridge between your dreams and ultimate reality.  For more information or to schedule a complimentary coaching session, visit http://www.niquenyafulbright.com, send inquiry to contactme@niquenyafulbright.com or call 773-368-3575.  All coaching sessions are performed via telephone.

Are You Performing Within Your Own Purpose Or Under Your Parents? Passion?
Mood:  happy
Topic: Life Lessons

 

One of the primary complaints I hear from my coaching clients is that they are unhappy in their professions.  Too often, after further exploration of the source of this unhappiness, it is revealed that these individuals did not pursue their current career paths by their own conscious choice but rather to appease their parents.  It seems that parental influence plays a major role in whether or not one is capable of pursuing their dreams.

 

This is not a phenomenon unique to life coaching clients.  My mother, an esthetics and cosmetology instructor, is often surprised by the varying backgrounds that make up her class compositions.  She ponders why at least half of her students possess experience and post-doctoral degrees in the fields of Computer Science, Healthcare or Law and yet are so eager to start up vocational training in the beauty field.  The answer is almost always the same; the parents are to blame.

 

Socioeconomic concerns make it easy for parents to reinforce traditionally accepted ideals of success.  Your parents want the best for you and so offer up strong advice in regards to your future.  From the time we are first conceived, our parents begin to map out our lives.  They dream about the people we will become and they set certain expectations on how we will fulfill those dreams.  Then as we grow, our parents teach us the values and belief systems they hope will be instrumental in pushing us toward achieving success.  The problem with this well-meaning effort is that success may have a different definition for you than for your parents.

 

How you define success is a very personal journey.  While societal norms may define success in terms of monetary gain and glorified professions such as doctor, lawyer, or IT professional; one can choose to define success as simply having a healthy family.  For the purpose of this article, I define success as what makes you feel fulfilled or happy. 

 

Success, by this definition, can only be attained if one is walking within their own purpose.  This means that you must set aside parental influences to tap into what your unique strengths and desires are.  Go on a journey of self-discovery and explore the possibilities within your distinct purpose.  Never mind how passionate your parents’ dreams are for your future.  You must embrace your own destiny by deciding your path based upon your individual success definition.

 

Don’t beat yourself up if it has taken you 20 years to realize that you are not doing what you truly love with your life.  It is never too late to go on the exploratory journey to self-discovery.  The hardest step is to decide to start performing within your own purpose rather than under the cloud of your parents’ passion.

 

© 2007 by Niquenya D. Fulbright, Executive Life Coach - All Rights Reserved.

About the Author: Niquenya D. Fulbright is a Chicago area executive life coach, professional speaker and corporate trainer with over 10 years experience specializing in business, career, life and relationship coaching.  Niquenya helps her clients to improve the quality of their personal and business relationships through positive goal-setting, self-assessment, business plan/proposal writing, management consulting, resume writing/review and a number of other career and consulting services. For more information or to schedule a complimentary coaching session, visit http://www.niquenyafulbright.com, send inquiry to contactme@niquenyafulbright.com or call 773-368-3575.  All coaching sessions are performed via telephone.

The Secret to Creating Wealth
Mood:  sharp
Topic: Life Lessons
There has been a great deal of discussion recently in regards to “The Secret”. Everyone is buzzing about the secret. What is the secret? Why the secret? How can I use the secret? Just what is all this fuss about the secret?

The secret is the laws of attraction. These laws, simply stated, mean if you ask, you shall receive it. This rule is probably not new to you and in fact, the secret is as old as the history of the earth. Almost every major religion possesses some element of the secret and uses its teachings to encourage and spiritually enlighten its followers. Unfortunately, because of the hustle and bustle of our world today, people have forgotten the secret which is why it is now being referred to as a secret. We have neglected our purpose in favor of complacency to what the world throws at us. By recommitting to the secret, you will get back in touch with your purpose and become empowered to demand that the world give you what you desire instead of what it chooses for you. In all actuality, the universe does not make any decisions for you. The choices have been yours to make all along. What makes us different from all of the other animals on earth is that we do not live by instinct alone. People have been given the gift of free will. The secret to living your best life is to make conscious choices that redirect the energy that you both give and receive. When you become a master of the secret, you will begin to invite health, wealth and prosperity. It would be wise to keep a journal as you begin your journey to creating wealth using the secret.

People often tell us when we share our dreams, “stop lying to yourself, that’s never going to happen.” I invite you to L.I.E. like you’ve never lied before. You see, the word L.I.E. is an acronym for “living in expectation”. You have to start off by setting the B.A.R. high for yourself. That is, you must follow the three rules to lying. These are:
1. believe
2. achieve
3. receive

You have to believe the L.I.E. you are telling. The Bible states that if you ask you shall receive it and then to count those things as though they already are. So in order to truly L.I.E., or to live in expectation, you must combine your desire with FAITH. Faith is to believe in the unseen or unknown without any physical or visible evidence to its existence. So at this point, you do not worry about HOW you will accomplish your dreams, you just must have FAITH that you will.

Something I like to do is to create a dream collage. You will need to take a large sheet of cardboard or construction paper and use it to assemble pictures or words that symbolize what your life will look and feel like once you have accomplished your dream. You can cut out pictures from magazines or travel brochures or use your own memorabilia to create your collage. Once it is completed, hang it in a place where it will be highly visible so that you can be reminded of your dream as often as possible. You should take at least 60 seconds each day to actually meditate on your dream collage. Imagine what you will do, who you will be with and how you will fully live your dream. You will find that eventually, you will start to think like you are living your dream which ultimately manifests into you acting as though you were living your dream. This process makes it easier to begin truly living your dream.

The second rule is to achieve. This means that you will need to take action in order to move toward your dream. How do you do this? When we conjure a dream, at first the very notion can seem monumentous. The very bigness of the dream can be quite overwhelming and, therefore, impossible to achieve. So we typically, through our doubts, and fears of inadequacy or failure, discount our dreams and become immobilized by that bigness. The way to overcome the enormity and impossibility is to create a plan that breaks the dream down into smaller, more manageable steps. In a sense, you are developing SMART goals. That is goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-constrained. Marcia Wieder, America’s Dream Coach, says that you should create W.O.W.s, things you can do within one week, to serve as a basis to construct your timeline to attain your dream. These should be written down or better yet, typed. When you can clearly see an outline to achieve your dream, it begins to shrink into something that looks much more accomplishable. This will also help you to increase your FAITH because your written plan becomes the visual evidence you need in order to believe in your dream. I suggest that you even go a step further by using this list of goals as the centerpiece in which your entire dream collage is built around.

The last rule to living in expectation is to receive. You must open yourself to the possibility of success. We have all heard the term, “you’re going to miss out on your blessing if you fill-in-the-blank”. The truth is that if you are inviting negative energy into your life you are in a sense, cutting yourself off from the positivity that could come. Positive thoughts and actions are much more powerful than negative thoughts and actions; however, we allow those that are negative to occur much more frequently and to control our lives.

The song, “Ironic”, by Alanis Morrisette, I think is a perfect example of how the laws of attraction can work in our lives. How many of us have experienced “a traffic jam when you’re already late for work” or a “free ride when you’ve already paid”? Irony can often be traced back to your thought pattern throughout the day. If you wake up on the wrong side of the bed, you then develop a headache, you have run out of toothpaste and you waste coffee on your fresh pressed white shirt during your mad dash between the Starbuck’s and your office only to find out that you have left that very important client brief on your kitchen table at home. By allowing yourself to be consumed by negative thoughts and reactions, this domino effect can and often does occur. Since we get back, exactly what we put out, it is important to begin to shift, not only your thoughts, but also your actions and reactions toward more positive things. Your heart and spirit will be made available to receive more blessings.

Set your B.A.R. high enough to be a challenge but not so high that it becomes unrealistic and unattainable. This is the difference between a dream and a fantasy. A dream is something that you can define goals around and develop a plan to achieve. You can not do this with a fantasy. Winning the lottery is a fantasy because you have no control over the outcome. There are not deliberate actions you can take to achieve it. Winning the lottery does not include all three rules of the L.I.E. In order for your L.I.E. or your dream to be realized, it must follow the three rules completely. Believe, achieve and receive so that you can live in expectation of those things yet to come. LIE, LIE, LIE!

Now let’s turn our discussion towards success. What does it mean to be successful? My definition of success is being fully appreciative of where you are in life right now and having the courage, strength and faith to continue the journey. I am a long-time strong believer and subscriber in the laws of attraction which have received much attention in the media lately due to the revision of the old movie, "The Secret". I believe that if you are conscious of your thoughts, actions and reactions today then you have complete control over where you will be tomorrow. Essentially, your mastery of "the secret” puts you into the driver seat to determine how fast and which successes you achieve.

The problem is that we typically do not live our lives according to our own success definition. Instead we are governed by environmental influences that include family, especially parents and spouses, friends, culture and society. We make decisions based more upon what we believe is expected of us then what we truly want and desire. This brings upon stress and imbalance because when we live in other’s expectations rather than our own, we begin to move outside of our purpose. Without purpose, we can not feel passionate or fully committed to the journey.

To really be successful, you must first define what success means to you. Everyone has a very different definition of success. To some, success may mean a six-figure income. Others are simply fulfilled by living the American dream of the home, a white picket fence, a spouse, 2.5 kids and a dog. Still others feel successful even in the midst of daily financial trials and tribulations. The secret to success is determining what your purpose is and then to make every decision based upon this purpose. Success really equates to what makes you happy and fulfilled, your purpose.

After you have completed some much needed soul-searching to determine your purpose and unique definition of success, you can then use this information to map out the next phase of your journey. Take the time to dream and then create a plan to achieve it. Set up your goals using the W.O.W. system mentioned earlier and then L.I.E. your way to the top. Believe the dream, achieve the dream and receive all the blessings associated with it. Take action to move your dream forward.

The final phase in achieving wealth is simple. Enroll others into your dream. You have developed a great plan and are armed with the knowledge of who you are. Since no man is truly an island, you need to build a wealth-generating team. I’m sure you have heard that if you want to get anywhere in life, you need to surround yourself with those who are already where you want to be. There are so many cliches supporting this statement: birds of a feather flock together, you are the company you keep, etc. This is uncannily true. So if you want to join the ranks of the wealthy, immerse yourself in their ranks. Go where they go, sleep where they sleep and eat what they eat. You want to put yourself in a position to build a network of like-minded wealth-oriented people. These are people who feel that they are successful and also have evidence of their success in their wallets.

Explain to your newfound wealthy friends exactly what you are trying to do. Ask them to share their knowledge and experiences with you and determine in what other ways they can help. People are generally helpful if you ask the right questions. So be very specific in every request. The main reason people say no is because either they weren’t clear about what you were asking or you were asking too much. Clarify your requests or ask what part of the request they can help with. You will be pleasantly surprised from where your help comes. Connect with these people and tap into their resources. Also, always offer your assistance in return. Be as helpful and considerate as possible because this will invite reciprocity.

The secret to creating wealth is really no secret at all. It just takes time, commitment and knowledge of self. Tap into your unique talents, strengths and abilities and use them to define your purpose. Determine what success means to you and embrace your dreams. Create a plan with time-constrained goals by setting your B.A.R. high and then L.I.E. your way to the top. You will invite wealth and success into your life like never before.

-----------------------------------------------
? 2007 by Niquenya D. Fulbright-All Rights Reserved.

About the Author:
Niquenya D. Fulbright is a Chicago area executive life coach, professional speaker and corporate trainer with over 10 years experience specializing in business, career, life and relationship coaching. Niquenya helps her clients to improve the quality of their personal and business relationships through positive goal-setting, self-assessment, business plan/proposal writing, management consulting, resume writing/review and a number of other career and consulting services. For more information or to schedule a complimentary coaching session, visit http://www.niquenyafulbright.com, send inquiry to contactme@niquenyafulbright.com or call 773-368-3575. All coaching sessions are performed via telephone.

L.I.E. Your Way To The Top
Mood:  chillin'
Topic: Life Lessons
When we dream the devil comes in to kill, steal and destroy

But here I am ready to take a stand to defend my right to joy

I have discovered the secret of exactly how to get Satan to stop

The best thing you can do in defense is to L.I.E. your way to the top

You see, a lie in the biblical sense is most definitely a sin

But there is an art to lying that will assuredly open the gates to heaven

It starts with having faith which is belief in the unseen

So take all of your faith and apply it to believing in your dream

Now let me explain the L.I.E. so that you can gain divine revelation

This word is actually an acronym for Living In Expectation

When you have a dream, you need to speak to its existence

And then you have to create steps and act on them with persistence

The Bible states that whatever you shall ask you shall also receive

Before you count those blessings as though they are, you must first believe

Words are powerful, this we know, so use them to your satisfaction

That is what the secret is when they refer to the laws of attraction

So set your B.A.R. high, that is to Believe, Achieve & Receive

Your dreams become action-oriented goals that set you on the path to succeed

Remember to take your faith and apply it to battling those who say you had better not

Then use your will and God-given talents to L.I.E. your way to the top

If you have trouble following this plan and need someone to throw you a rope

Remember my number is 773-368-3575 and I'd be happy to be your life coach

? 2007 By Niquenya D. Fulbright - All Rights Reserved. http://www.niquenyafulbright.com

Do You Know the Secret?
Mood:  energetic
Topic: Life Lessons
As a professional life coach keen on personal development, I come across a great deal of powerful self-coaching tools that help you to achieve your best possible life. About three months ago, I came across a powerful dvd titled "The Secret". I had been told about it for months but finally sat down to watch it. It was life-changing. I beseech all of you to watch the following clip in which Oprah Winfrey reviews this dvd and the panel of teachers featured in the film. After viewing, visit www.thesecret.tv to purchase your very own copy. Make sure you share it with others.

Here is the Oprah Show from Thursday,February 08,2007. Interviewing "The Secret" Teachers.

Click Here to View "The Secret" on Oprah

Happy Living!

Niquenya D. Fulbright

Battling the Bet-Nots: How to Overcome the Negative Noise of Naysayers
Mood:  energetic
Topic: Life Lessons
How many times have you made up your mind to do something you really desired to accomplish but came up against much discouragement from friends and family? You decide to quit your high-paying job with paid company benefits in pursuit of your dream career only to be met with a thunderous chorus of "you had better not!” These loving beings, whom only have your best interest at heart when they furiously nod their heads in dismay at your latest inspiration, can make it extremely difficult to put that first foot forward in the direction of your goal.

We often internalize the views and opinions of the naysayers in our lives leaving us stagnant in our progression towards happiness. We stay at the dead-end job, accept the cards that have been dealt to us and allow ourselves to become complacent in our present life positioning. But why? Do we find this nonchalant tradeoff for contentment in lieu of our ultimate dreams truly gratifying? In most cases, the answer is almost certainly no.

Defeating the negative noise is a must if you plan to really live your best life. You have to learn how to listen to your own inner coach. It is that tiny voice inside yourself that is constantly debating the various choices that have been laid before you. This self-talk is influenced by your personal morals, values and experiences as well as those of the individuals who share your environment. When you are posed with any type of decision, you must first identify whether or not the origin of your self-talk is really coming from you. Although you should value the opinions of those whom you love and respect, you must consider the underlying reasons behind their disagreement with your chosen path. It may seem harsh, but if these individuals are not where you want to be, why should you listen to them? Successful people get successful by surrounding themselves with those who are already succeeding.

If it is indeed your own voice, you must next determine if the opinion is valid. You can discount any argument that simply doesn’t make sense. Ask yourself if the voice has developed as a result of a fear. It can be a fear of risk, a fear of failure, a fear of success or something completely illogical. Fear can certainly be immobilizing. To conquer your fear and begin rationalizing your dreams, start by writing down what you plan to accomplish. Once you have your dreams in writing, you will need to ask yourself several difficult questions. What are your goals? What do you need to do to make your dreams come to fruition? Are your goals reasonable and attainable? How will your life be better if you are successful in reaching these goals? Will you have more money? …more time? …a new car? How long will it take you to accomplish these goals?

You will find that by writing out and evaluating the feasibility of your dreams, they suddenly seem more tangible. You also have produced the beginnings of a plan of action. List each goal; along with the estimated time you believe it will take you to complete it, in chronological order. Type up this action plan, placing a checkbox next to each goal, and use it to create a dream collage. Gather up pictures, travel brochures, magazine articles or whatever you can find to symbolize the things you will have accomplished upon completion of your goals. Arrange these items on a large sheet of construction paper or poster board using your action plan as the center. Hang your dream collage above your desk or in any other highly visible place where you will have to see it often.

Use your dream collage as the focus of your daily meditation. Before you officially start your day, meditate on your dream for at least fifteen minutes. Close your eyes and picture yourself enjoying the items pictured in your collage. You should do this as many times as possible throughout the day but at least once in the morning. This will help you to overcome the negative noise by turning it into positive self-talk. You will find that your mind will start to embrace your dream. You will have envisioned the dream, you will begin speaking the dream, and then you will act the dream. Gradually, you will be living the dream.

? 2006 by Niquenya D. Fulbright, Executive Life Coach – All Rights Reserved.
http://www.niquenyafulbright.com

The Positive Power of Saying "NO"
Mood:  celebratory
Topic: Life Lessons
Knowing when and how to say "no" is a constant battle for many people. This becomes especially difficult for business professionals who are looking to please and impress higher-ups. Almost from birth, the world has conditioned us to do what others ask without question for any number of reasons. We, too often, get pushed and pulled in all sorts of awkward directions that had not been on our intended agenda due to the inability to confidently speak that singular two-letter word.

Why do we allow ourselves to be ruled by people or things that make us uncomfortable? Does going the extra mile for that prospect result in cognitive dissonance in regards to your own morals? Is the undue stress caused by bending over backward for an overbearing manager worth the possible reward? What value does inviting such negativity into our lives really afford us?

Just say "NO".

Saying "no" is a very reasonable response to any request no matter how big or small. If you can't do what is being asked or even just don't want to, it is truly okay to say "no". No further explanation is required. The fact that you don't want to is more than enough reason. If you are a person that has trouble saying "no" outright then respond by saying "I'll consider it and get back to you". This is alright too. It is much better to give no commitment at all than to commit to something you didn't want to do in the first place.

There is so much additional stress that develops when a person attempts to perform a task unwillingly. Think about times when you have worked at something you truly enjoyed. How easy was it for you to complete the task successfully? Now think about a time when you have agreed to a task that was not really your cup of tea but you just couldn't say "no". Did you give the task your complete 100%? Was the task completed and completed on schedule? How did you feel during the process?

Saying "no" firmly and asserting your position can give you power beyond your wildest dreams. Speaking "no" is to overcome your fear of rejection. It is to embrace independence. It is to get in touch with your true values. What do you stand for? How do you want to live your day? Saying "no" gives you back the control over how and with whom your time and energy is spent. So where does one begin? By just choosing the positive power of saying "NO".

? 2006 by Niquenya D. Fulbright, Professional Executive Life Coach & Corporate Speaker
All Rights Reserved * http://www.niquenyafulbright.com

Keep Your New Year's Resolution
Topic: Life Lessons
MAKE 2007 YOUR YEAR TO DISCOVER A PIECE OF HEAVEN!

Every year as the clock ticks down to midnight on December 31st, millions of people close their beer-slanted eyes, lean over to kiss a similarly afflicted stranger and promise to achieve their seemingly unreachable goals. Whether it's to lose weight, save money, be nicer to your mother or start that new business, almost everyone makes these self-proclamations and then falls off the bandwagon less than three months later. We start off doing well but by February we are making all sorts of excuses to keep from exercising, to spend our investing funds on other trivial matters, to avoid mom altogether or to discount that wonderful and exciting business venture as yet another of your dumb ideas.

Imagine for a moment that you are actually able to keep your New Year's Resolution and see it to the end. What will you have achieved? How will this make you feel? How will your life be better?

We make these promises to ourselves because they truly have value to who we would like to believe we are. Fulfilling these promises would give us a sense of accomplishment and pride in our own abilities. New Year's resolutions are our feeble attempt to pursue a direction that could provide an unlimited benefit in our lives. If I lose weight, I will look and feel better and be able to purchase the clothing or participate in the activities I like. If I save more money, I will be able to afford the new car I have been dreaming about and would be better prepared for emergencies. If I spend more time with mom, our relationship would be closer and I would lose these feelings of guilt in regards to her loneliness. If I go into business for myself, I will have more financial and creative freedom and eventually time to spend with my family.

So what can you do to ensure that these New Year's resolutions don't fall into the pit of empty promises?

PARTNER WITH A LIFE COACH!

Life coaches are professional mentors who can help you define realistic, attainable goals, prepare a plan to reach those goals and then keep you motivated to see these goals fulfilled. A life coach becomes your partner to success. The coach contributes to your success by becoming a sounding board for your ideas and presenting alternative directions you may not have thought of. A life coach is like a mirror to your innerworkings. A life coach allows you to look at yourself and determine what it is that is really presenting as a roadblock to reaching your goals. By using a life coach, you are taking hold of your future development and ensuring that you will stay motivated to become the person you visualize you really are.

Every life coach is different and many have particular niches that they focus on. Life coaches draw a great deal of their expertise from their own personal and business experiences. For this reason, it is important that you choose a life coach who has experience in the area you are trying to fulfill and is also compatible with your own moral values and personality. Most life coaches allow a complimentary introductory session so that you can determine if their coaching style is appropriate for what you are trying to do before you are locked into a financial committment. Sessions are typically 30 to 60 minutes. The frequency of these sessions depends on the nature of your goal and how often you need to meet in order to remain motivated. A typical relationship lasts for three to six months with sessions scheduled weekly or biweekly. The majority of life coaches perform the coaching by telephone and offer discounts for greater time committments.

* Are you ready to make 2007 your year to achieve?

* Are you ready to take hold of your personal development and become the person you knew you always were?

* Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired?

Hire a life coach and be well on your way to fulfilling your dreams!

Email contactme@niquenyafulbright.com to schedule your complimentary coaching session today!
Building Bridges Between Your Dreams & Ultimate Reality

How To Get Just About ANYTHING For FREE
Mood:  chatty
Topic: Life Lessons
How To Get Just About ANYTHING For FREE...
Or at least practically free

As a single mother of two, I am always looking for ways to cut corners and shave costs. I don't really have the time to clip coupons and scour through sales ads as much as I would like so since I spend primarily all of my time online, I have found a very easy way to ensure my pocketbook doesn't suffer while I provide the essentials for my family. I find free stuff.

Yes, free stuff. It's all over the internet. Since I've embarked on this information highway of webjunk two years ago, I have been able to attain a 27" console television, a queensize mattress and boxspring set, a couch, a computer desk and office chair, a printer, a microwave and several other items of which the total value well exceeds $3500 but I never paid one red penny. I got it all for FREE!!!

How did I do this you may wonder? Well, the internet is a valuable tool that allows anyone with just the most basic pc savviness to enter a whole world full of useful resources. With just a flew clicks of a mouse button, you can find a wealth of items being given away for little of nothing or FREE.

A simple Google search for "free stuff" yields hundreds of sites completely devoted to coupons, samples and other free stuff being given away across the WWW. These sites are many in number and sometimes hard to navigate due to the thousands of popup ads embedded in their shells and therefore lose their appeal after awhile.

A better source for free stuff are two of my favorite websites: Freecycle and Craig's List. These two sites offer a wide variety of free items up for grabs by anyone who can get to them in a timely fashion.

Freecycle is a non-profit organization that lives by the concept of one person's trash is another one's treasure. Everything offered on the many local level sites is absolutely free and the sites are moderated to ensure the site remains true to its cause. The idea is to keep useful items from being thrown in the trash and thereby cutting down waste and at the same time helping someone in need get an item they may not otherwise afford or be able to find. Just about anything you can think of gets offered for free on this site.

Craig's List is a free classified billboard ad site. It is free to post a listing and the listings are divided into categories of which my favorite is, of course, FREE. Individuals can list their items, services or wants on the board and get connected to the millions of users that frequent each of the major city boards across the globe. I have found everything from free concert tickets to webdesign on this site.

There are billions of other sources of FREE stuff on the web. If you would like to know more about where and how to find more free or practically free items, leave me a comment to let me know what you are looking for or you can email contactme@niquenyafulbright.com.