Thanks for coming back to visit me today. I care about what you think so please leave your comments and opinions. _____________________________________________________________________

This was e-mailed to me this morning and I thought I would share it with you. I did not see it in The London Times myself, however, it is still thought provoking no matter where it originated.

An Obituary printed in the London Times - not a joke
and makes you think! 
Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who
has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was,
since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He
will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:
Knowing when to come in out of the rain; Why the early bird
gets the worm; Life isn’t always fair; and maybe it was my fault. 
 
Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies
(don’t spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults,
not children, are in charge). 

 His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but
overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy
charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate;
teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher
fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition. 
 
Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for
doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining

Thank you so much to everyone who voted for my blog to win the 2009 Best Coaching Blog Contest!

Thanks for visiting me today. I really appreciate that you have taken the time to spend some time here. I’m still very new to blogging so if you are more advanced than I am you will probably find some places here that are not quite up to speed yet. Forgive me. I have been collecting articles that I find valuable and here is one of them. Enjoy.

Transform your potential to performance by being your own brand!
“A strong brand, corporate or personal, needs to be so clearly defined that its intended
audience can quickly grasp what it stands for.”
Quoted from  the book ‘Be Your Own Brand’ the authors David McNally and Karl D. Speak propose that the term ‘brand’ can be applied to professional and business relationships as a means to create value and consistency for one’s clients or employer. McNally and Speak have merged strong business language with the ’soft’ concept of values in the work place. In doing so it shows that investing in values will yield a very
attractive return. According to The Collins English Dictionary, values are the moral principles, beliefs or accepted standards of a person or social group. The same source describes a principle as a standard rule of personal conduct. Think of your values as the foundation of your work ethic. Once you have identified your values, then you can choose your priorities for daily actions. The values that you uncover will be your
strategic tool to enforce your brand and allow you to invest your energy in the arenas that are right for you and where you will find like minded people and support. Your brand delineates your boundaries and clarifies how much time you have to spend and where that time goes. It is lovely when everyone around you applauds enthusiastically when you when talk about values. Its hard to live up to them because it means enforcing
boundaries. Your brand will force you to take responsibility for you’re your mistakes, your commitments and the time you waste. When you commit to your brand then you become consistent and your energy will be focused like a laser so that you will produce consistent results. Without your personal brand you end up saying yes to everyone andeverything because your M.O. becomes about pleasing everyone in the moment to avoid confrontation. We’ve all been there and we know that when we try to please everyone we
please no one because all anyone gets from us are confused, frustrated and diluted efforts.Now you set boundaries, and you say no consistently to demands that are not inline with your values and a big, enthusiastic YES to what is. Watch your productivity and standards soar when you say yes to focused, hard work and an honest effort.  The next thing to do is come up with some ideas on how to achieve these actions and it just may mean getting rid of some of the junk in your life. What is really neat about this process is you start to identify opportunities to say no. I do not believe that the only road to success
is through being at the beck and call of your boss or client however I do believe that you should deliver what you promise and be willing to work hard to do it. To succeed with the personal brand method your values must be in line with those of your clients or your employer. The good news is that you will know if you are working for the wrong people. The bad news is, you may have to find a new job. Your brand is your clarity . Once you get clear on what it is that matters to you, your work ethic and your desired outcome then
you can present yourself and your expectations in an equally clear and concise manner. It is within this framework that you are able to know within yourself what you are willing and not willing to do for your paycheck. If you waver, change and alter depending on who you are talking to you are only being true to your mood in the moment. The brand demands that you are rock solid in your position and that you show up the same way every time. Easy? No way. You may reprint this article as long as you give me credit for it. Corry Robertson, B.A., ACC, www.potentialtoperformance.com
 

Well, today is a special day because it is my first post EVER! It is so much fun to be learning new things and pushing myself this far into the unknown. As we say in coaching, we all need stretch goals. These are goals that demand that we stretch ourselves as far as we can, and even further to achieve true greatness.

All people are able to realize their unique potential and are capable of achieving greatness on their own terms.

When each of us shows up as individuals who have harnessed the potential within, not only will our minds, bodies and spirits be powerful, but also, our children, our homes, our places of business, our nations and our planet will be healthy, we will live in peace and we will enjoy prosperity.

My role is to contribute value and meaning as a coach by supporting individuals through positive transformation and sustainable change leading to their own achievement of personal greatness.