What is Wealth?

Cultural Awareness, Mindfulness, Philosophy, , , , , ,

Once there was a wealthy father who was concerned that a privileged upbringing might give his son a limited view of life. He decided his son needed to see how the other half lived. To do this, he asked his personal assistant to find a very poor family who would be willing to allow him and his son to visit and stay with them.

After weeks of searching she found a very poor farming family who lived in an impoverished country area and organized for her boss and his son to live with them for a couple of days and nights. At the end of the visit, as they were driving back to their expensive suburban mansion, the father asked his son, “What did you think of our stay on the farm?”

“It was great, thanks, Dad,” came the reply.

Keen to see if he had achieved the mission of his visit, the father asked, “Has it helped you to see how poor people live?”

“Sure has,” answered his son.

“Well, tell me about it. What did you learn?” enquired the father.

“I learnt,” his son responded, “that while we have a swimming pool fenced into our backyard, they have a creek with swimming holes, a Tarzan rope hanging from a tree, and rapids they ride on old car tubes.”

“We have one dog that lives in a kennel. They have four that live with them.”

“Our large house stretches almost to the borders of our small piece of land. They have a small house on open fields that stretch beyond sight.”

“Our patio looks out on a neatly mown lawn whereas they view their garden, fields, trees, and hills to the very horizon.”

“Spotlights turn our yard into day at night. They have nothing but thousands of twinkling stars to light their night.”

“We have to drive to the supermarket to buy our vegetables but they grow theirs right outside the back door.”

“We have servants to serve our meals and clean our house. They serve each other and clean up together.”

“Our property has walls that fence others out and us in. Their fences contain milking cows and woolly lambs.”

“We have security alarms, barred windows, and locks to protect us while they have family and friends to protect them.”

The father looked at his son in absolute amazement.

“Thanks Dad,” the boy added. “I never realized how poor we are.”

(101 Stories for Enhancing Happiness and Well-Being Using Metaphors, p.208)

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Question: How does this metaphor compare to your perception of wealth?

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Manuela Zeitlhofer | Authenticity & Mental Fitness Coach

(photo by Guilherme Stecanella, Unsplash)

In My Own Way

About your Coach, Mental Fitness, Mindfulness, Personal Development, , , , , ,

Have you battled internal obstacles – problems that were entirely created by your way of approaching the world in your thinking and actions? – I have!

For more than a year I had been bothered by a digestive issue: There was a knot in my intestines, always in the same spot. It never went away. The intensity of the discomfort varied. I consulted my family doctor. I consulted an Ayurvedic doctor. Nothing. I researched online. – A partial breakthrough was achieved when I found a useful video how to alleviate the symptoms temporarily. But no solution appeared. I started to despair.

Then, we went on vacation and I did not drink my tap water. The discomfort was gone.

I had stumbled upon the solution. The problem – or obstacle – had been too close to me to be visible.

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Question: What is an obstacle you have come to live with, because you do not perceive there to be a way around or over it?

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Manuela Zeitlhofer | Authenticity & Mental Fitness Coach

(photo by Ethan Dow, Unsplash)

Changing Course Fluidly

Mental Fitness, Mindfulness, Personal Development, Problem Solving, Self-Reliance, , , ,

Flexibility is the key to common sense and success

A battleship had been at sea on maneuvers in heavy weather for several days. The captain, who was concerned about the deteriorating conditions, stayed on the bridge so that he could keep an eye on all activities. One night, shortly after dark, [the fog was getting even thicker] the lookout on the bridge suddenly shouted, ‘A light, captain, bearing on the starboard bow.’
‘Is it steady or moving astern?’ the captain asked.
The lookout confirmed that it was steady, which meant that the battleship was apparently on a dangerous collision course with the other ship.
The captain then called to the signalman, ‘Signal that ship: “We are on a collision course. Advise you change course 20 degrees north.”’
Back came the response from the other ship: ‘You change course 20 degrees south.’
Annoyed at the arrogance of the response, the captain said, ‘Send: “I am a captain, change course 20 degrees north.”’
‘I am a seaman second class,’ came the reply, ‘you had still better change course 20 degrees south.’
By this time, the captain was furious. He shouted, ‘Send: “I am a battleship. Change course 20 degrees north.”’
Back came the flashing light: ‘I am a lighthouse.’
The captain changed course. (Tales for Coaching, 133)

(photo by Ethan Dow, Unsplash)

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Questions:

What cannot be moved? What CAN be moved? – Answer (?)

What represents the ‘fog’ for you? How could you lift this fog? – Answer (?)

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Manuela Zeitlhofer | Authenticity & Mental Fitness Coach

Doing Little Things That Matter

About your Coach, Connecting with Nature, ,

Do you remember the story “The Star Thrower” who was rescuing starfish one at a time, and even it did not seem to make a difference in the big picture, it made every difference to the starfish he did rescue. Here is how this story resonates with my life:

I believe in minimizing my footprint and taking care of nature. I own a little piece of land – 4 acres – and I feel that I am the steward of this land. I am responsible for, but I am not entitled to do any damage to this land. I have the right to live here, to grow my plants, to live in my house, to be who I am.

I see this stewardship as our calling as humans. We have the power to destroy, but we also have to power to manage what we were entrusted with responsibly and sustainably. It may – and it does – feel daunting at times to do my little part in taking care of the world.

What I do includes: growing my own garden, buying organic food, buying what’s locally in season, buying fewer things that are packed in plastic, and more that are not packed, or packed in paper, consuming less, buying second hand, passing on things I no longer need to someone else who can use them, seeking happiness where I am and not where a car or a plane can take me.

It might feel hypocritical at times, when I do drive my car, or when I do buy things that are disposable or wrapped in plastic (or both). Then I try to forgive myself – because as the little boy said “It makes a difference to this one”.

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Question: What are your thoughts about this topic?

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Manuela Zeitlhofer | Mental Fitness Coach

Change – Perspective – growth … Obvious?

Mindfulness, Personal Development, Philosophy, Problem Solving, , ,

If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. – Wayne Dyer

In the end, it is important to remember that we cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are. – Max De Pree

Do you remember the metaphor about the two caterpillars looking at a butterfly I shared a few days ago? – It can be found at: https://creeksideinspirations.ca/two-caterpillars/

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Question: What change are you resisting and what might become obvious if you change your perspective?

(photo by Jeffrey Dungen, Unsplash)

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Manuela Zeitlhofer | Authenticity & Mental Fitness Coach

Two Caterpillars

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Two caterpillars were sitting on a cabbage leaf having a chat. Suddenly, they heard a loud swishing noise, and looking up, saw a beautiful butterfly flying overhead. The first caterpillar looked to the other, shook his head and said, ‘You’ll never get me up in one of those things.’

(by Scott Simmerman)

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Question: What represents the butterfly (or change) for you?

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Manuela Zeitlhofer | Authenticity & Mental Fitness Coach

Judgement or compassion

Uncategorized

“Judgements prevent us from seeing the good that lies beyond appearances.”
– Wayne Dyer

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“What you see is evidence of what you believe.”
– Wayne Dyer

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Ask yourself:

-Is your opinion the truth (or is it a hypothesis)?

-Does what the other person is doing really matter to anyone but them? Does your opinion really matter to anyone but you?

-Do you have compassion?

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Manuela Zeitlhofer | Mental Fitness Coach

Mental Fitness: Lifelong Applications

Mental Fitness, ,

Positive Intelligence® is an operating system with many applications. In the first six weeks you develop your 3 core mental muscles. In subsequent weeks, modules in the app then enable you to use those muscles for a variety of work and life applications. You continue to grow.

As a professional coach expanding into Mental Fitness Coaching I am authorized to offer special deals on the Positive Intelligence® Mental Fitness Program. Please contact me for details!

© 2022Positive Intelligence, LLC.  All rights reserved.  No reproduction, in any form, printed or electronic, is permitted without prior written permission from Positive Intelligence, LLC.  POSITIVE INTELLIGENCE and PQ COACH are trademarks of Positive Intelligence, LLC.

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More about this topic:
Mental Fitness: Meeting Life’s Challenges Without Negative Emotions

Manuela Zeitlhofer | Mental Fitness Coach

Identity

Personal Development, , , ,

“It is easier to live through someone else than to complete yourself. The freedom to lead and plan your own life is frightening if you have never faced it before. It is frightening when a woman [editorial comment: …or man] finally realizes that there is no answer to the question ‘who am I’ except the voice inside herself.” ― Betty Friedan

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What makes you unique? What does the voice inside tell you?

Manuela Zeitlhofer | Mental Fitness Coach

Introspection for Introverts | Canada Day Gift

Getting to know your Coach, Goals, , , ,

Canadians are celebrating Canada Day on July 1.

For 10+3 days (starting today), I am giving some of my time, expertise and devotion back: 🎁 My gift to 10+3 people* (in honor of the 10 Canadian provinces and 3 territories) is a 45-minute coaching-call each. 🎁

Book your coaching-call here:

Please feel free to share this link with people you think might enjoy this gift: a safe space to hone in on introspective perspectives, and work toward goals.

Why? I feel very fortunate and grateful to call this country my home. In Canada I have found freedom, adventures, love, a place to live, a wonderful child, incredible friends, and the liberty to develop and maintain a positive mindset.

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Manuela Zeitlhofer | Mental Fitness Coach | The Introvert Solopreneur

*For all others, I will offer my coaching at a special rate.

Edison and the Light Bulb

Mindfulness, Problem Solving, , ,

Failure is a natural part of the creative process!

Thomas Edison, the American inventor, is thought of as being one of the most creative and intelligent men in history – and yet, the history books tell us that he attended his school in Michigan for only three months before being expelled at the age of 12 because his teachers thought he was ‘educationally subnormal’. In later years, Edison was to become famous for his saying ‘genius is 1 per cent inspiration and 99 per cent perspiration’.

This was certainly true for him in his attempts to convert electricity into light, one of his most famous endeavours. He was reputed to have tried and failed over 1,000 times to perfect the incandescent electric light bulb, and when advised by his colleagues and friends to give up the whole project because it was doomed to failure, replied with total conviction and some surprise: ‘Why, I haven’t failed; I’ve just found a thousand ways in which my formula doesn’t work!’

It was as much Edison’s positive and tenacious attitude to endeavour and problem solving as his obvious intelligence and creativity that, in the end, were his most powerful allies.

(Source: Tales for Coaching, p.109)

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Moral: There is no failure – only feedback!

Questions:

  • What represents the ‘light bulb’ that you are currently trying to invent?
  • What projects have you given up because you thought you had failed? Could they be rekindled?

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Manuela Zeitlhofer | Mental Fitness Coach

The Star Thrower

Goals, Mindfulness, , ,

Do you see your mission and your goals clearly? And how do you feel about small steps – do you give yourself credit for them, do you celebrate your small accomplishments?

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Story: A man was walking along the beach when he noticed a young boy apparently picking something off the ground and throwing it out into the sea. As the man got closer to the boy he saw that the objects were starfish. And the boy was surrounded by them. For miles and miles all along the shore, there seemed to be millions of them.

„Why in the world are you throwing starfish into the water”, he asked the boy as he approached.

„If these starfish are on the beach tomorrow morning when the tide goes out they will die”, replied the boy, continuing with his work.

„But that’s ridiculous”, cried the man. „Look around you. There are thousands of miles of beach and millions of starfish. How can you believe that what you’re doing could possibly make a difference”? The young boy picked up another starfish, paused thoughtfully, and remarked as he tossed it out into the waves, „It makes a difference to this one”. (by Loren Eisley)

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Moral: What is never attempted will never be accomplished; even the smallest of efforts defeats apathy.

Question: Who or what are the ‘starfish’ that you want to save?

Manuela Zeitlhofer | Mental Fitness Coach

Coaching Boosts Your Success

About Coaching, Philosophy, Self-Reliance, , , ,

I think it’s not just how good you are now,
I think it’s how good you’re going to be that really matters. …
(Great coaches) are your external eyes and ears,
providing a more accurate picture of your reality

Atul Gawande

Coaching can be beneficial at any stage of life. Coaching can greatly increase our awareness of the status quo. It can boost us into and support us in making the necessary changes, so we achieve goals (both short and long-term) with more ease and integrity.

In my personal and professional life, I am striving to increase my awareness and intercept my self-critical thinking patterns. A person who is trained to assist me in becoming aware of my blind spots and move past them has made all the difference for me.

What can become more tangible for you by means of coaching?

Contact me now for a free discovery call!

Freedom in Between

Mental Fitness, Mindfulness, Personal Development, , ,

So often, people feel that they are not in charge of their own lives, that their lives are determined by circumstance, duties and habits.

Victor Frankl is said to have shared a thought-provoking perspective:

Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.

Viktor E. Frankl

What are your thoughts on that? Please drop me a note.

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New and super relevant: I have expanded into Mental Fitness coaching to support lasting change in my clients’ lives.

#mentalfitness #personalfreedom #mindfulness #coachmanuelazeitlhofer

Neuroplasticity confirms: We can create the life we want!

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Are your familiar with the term Neuroplasticity? – It refers to the brain’s ability to adapt, form new neural pathways, and change the wiring of brain circuits. Metaphorically speaking, this means that certain pathways become highways, and other just gravel paths. It also means that we can develop the gravel paths into highways. Practically speaking, this means that we can train our brains. It means we can change our thinking. It means we can change our habits, how we think, speak and act in the world.

As a life coach, I would like to point out the great possibilities this approach holds for the world of coaching: We can train our brains. A good life coach can help establish new habits.

I am accepting new clients. Contact me today for a free introductory meeting.

Our brains are amazing!

Multiple Perspectives

Connecting with Nature, Getting to know your Coach, Mindfulness, Personal Development, , , ,

Essentially, things just are. We attribute meaning to things and events. Sometimes we dwell in the negative aspects or implications of something, when there really are other sides to everything.

In coaching we use this principle, and we call it reframing: We encourage a different perspective or seeing something in a different light.

Today, I did this with my sandpit: Part of our property consists of a former sandpit that was left in its soil-deprived state. For the past 25 years, nothing more than a few tough grasses, willows and even fewer very tough pines and cedars (all looking like bonsais) have been growing here. In the summer, this bothers my agriculturalist’s heart. Now, with a little bit of snow, the steep banks make marvelous sliding hills. And I wonder what other things in my life need reframing.

How about you? What could you reframe right now? – Please share your thoughts!

How to Live in a Seemingly Small World

Uncategorized, ,

I find that with the restrictions imposed on us during COVID, my world is shrinking to the size it was when my daughter was born. Back then, we were living in the wilderness, and I was the only person taking care of the baby. I could not leave the house or have any time to myself for a seemingly long time.

I learned how to carve out a space in my life that would hold who I was, so I would not loose myself. And it worked. For example, instead of going for long walks or do the outdoor chores (like getting water from the creek), started Yoga, which I could do inside with the baby around. I also reframed – that is, give different meaning – to seemingly tedious chores like doing the dished or doing laundry (I washed my daughter’s cloth diapers by hand): The repetitive action of those chores made it possible for me to reflect on life and get into a creative mental space that was relaxing.

I have always enjoyed working from home, and seeing nature change through the seasons right in front of my window. Being homebound during another lockdown is no problem for me. At times though, I miss that I cannot go and see my family when I want, or take my daughter to an indoor pool on a cold winter day. Instead, I find myself in the little and bigger chores that every day life as a mother, wife, duck owner, life coach and teacher brings, like collecting two beautiful duck eggs every morning, engaging in some small talk with the producers and negotiating the details of food – especially peas – exchange with them.

I hope you are in a position where you enjoy life, and you can be who you are without feeling restricted. If that is not the case let me tell you that you have it in you to create those conditions!

Please feel free to share your ideas or questions.

Love the duck (October 22, 2021)

Emotional Contagion

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You might have noticed that you are affected by the emotions of people around you. If someone expresses worry, frustration or anger, it will be picked up by you and others around. The same principle applies to positive emotions.

Social Psychologist Elaine Hatfield calls this phenomenon emotional contagion. If you read about it you will find out that humans need the pack and from an evolutionary perspective, it has been safer to play along with the group rather than being left alone in the wild.

I want to focus on an empowering aspect: Every person can be that catalyst! If other people’s emotions affect ME, then my emotions affect OTHERS. Isn’t that wonderful?

Here is a current example from my life: This morning, I was walking to the school bus with my daughter. The snow has been melting and we had to walk through some muddy puddles. Our neighbor was working with heavy equipment. He stopped to let us pass safely. I pulled my daughter along. In the process, she got splashed with muddy water. That resulted in a series of aggressive (disappointed) screams. I calmly reminded her that it would just be dust that she could brush off as soon as her pants were dry again. Luckily she recalibrated herself quickly.

Sometimes it takes a lot of energy to avoid getting affected by other people’s emotions. And sometimes, I have to step away when my defenses wear thin.

What generally works for me is…

  • to become aware of the emotion (in this case: anger and disappointments) and the reason behind it (feeling of powerlessness, as she could not just change, but had to go to school as she was).
  • to be aware of my position and not let the situations break into my bubble of self (I do that by smiling inwardly and talking to myself – also inwardly).
  • to separate physically from the person displaying the unwanted emotion. Going outside – even for a few minutes – works wonderings for me.

Tell me please: What works for you?