The Aspiring Writer (A Coaching Story)

I know this woman, who is wonderfully talented in many ways: Always striving to learn, to better herself, to live up to her values of freedom, peace, and equality. She deeply believed in sustainability, in flourishing both inside and out without destroying our resources.

She had been writing a book. For a long time, she had been planning, conceptualizing, writing and not writing, contemplating and motivating (herself), without making much progress. She consistently moved all kinds of other areas of her life forward: she learned, she worked, she raised her child, but her book had not been thriving.

One day, she spoke about this with her coach. She realized that she had a conflict within herself: She believed that we (as humans) do not have to destroy the world we live in, and we do not have to grab more and more (of everything) to be happy. She also believed that by staying small and content, she did her part in protecting the world.

That day, with her coach asking her the right questions, she realized that she could be true to both of those strong values: sustainability AND growing herself. She also understood that by holding herself back, she would deprive the world of the gifts she had to share. She also deprived herself of the pleasure of being true to herself, of shining her light into the world, and of seeing what would come after this adventure, of seeing what lay behind this next, long incubated, long procrastinated over achievement.

She walked away from the coaching session that day, and started writing. She finished her book. And she discovered what adventure awaited her next.

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What calling are you not (quite) following yet? – Call me today, and let’s see what your next step in your wonderful adventure is! (And what lies beyond that!)

Why waste time procrastinating when I offer exactly what you need?

Contact me, or secure your …

Manuela Zeitlhofer, Transformative Coach (October 16, 2024)

Unplug 2 Reconnect (INTRODUCTION)

• Do you experience stress that has a negative impact you can feel it in your body?
• Do you feel like you are on a hamster wheel without the opportunity to follow your heart and do – or even think – what you long for?
• Have you had experiences in nature that have deeply moved you and that you still remember?

This coaching series is all about unplugging from stress & living your vision: focusing on the future you long for, and sustainably tapping into positive feelings by focusing your attention on emotionally relevant events in the past, present and future. And that works!

You have probably heard quotes like “We are what we think.” You may have already told yourself, “I can’t do that” (and consequently, you have proven to yourself that you can’t). Have you ever had situations in which you said to yourself, “I’ll do this now” or “I can do it today” – and to our own surprise, the process seemed effortless? Yes?

All of these examples are self-fulfilling prophecies:
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right.” ― Henry Ford

(Photo by Jeremy Bishop, Unsplash 2024)

This series includes four offers that you can take advantage of individually or one after the other:

1. Positive Change Walks: Hikes or walks in a natural environment of your choice. Coaching prepares you for this and guides you in synthesizing your experiences.
2. Bring Nature Home Exercise: Very simple – you bring nature into your home in the form of a plant. You then look after and watch it. That’s how you build a relationship with your friend. You know, plants love CO2, which we breathe out. So we can do the plant and ourselves a favor (because the CO2 is converted into oxygen) by spending time with plants and maybe even talking to them. – There are of course coaching questions and discussions accompanying this exercise.
3. Positive Vision Day: You spend a whole day in nature with your coach. The vision begins long before this actual day, with power questions, self-reflections and a values test.
4. Nature Connected Living Quest: Every week, you explore another area of your inner nature, until it all comes together and leaves you refreshed, with a new sense of purpose and direction.

You can find more information about these offers in the links or by writing to me. I am looking forward to embarking on this adventure with you!

Busting Stress

What goes around comes around

The expression What goes around comes around is backed up by neurological research. Because of neurons in our brain, if we are in sage mode, like joy, curiosity or peace, the person interacting with us will gradually shift to the same mode, which then will fuel our own sage, creating a virtuous cycle. If you look into a happy face and genuinely connect with that person, you will feel happier.

How can you easily and authentically make people – and yourself – happy?

It can be small things: Really connect with people from your heart, for just 10 seconds. Bring a smile to the people in everyday encounters. Tell someone you know a thing you recently appreciated, but have not mentioned yet. Tell a co-worker a strength in them that you admire.

That brings appreciation, gratitude, caring and joy to the world around you. See how that affects you!

(based on Shirzad Chamine’s Mental Fitness Exercise “Make Someone Happy”, Positive Intelligence, November 29, 2022)

Two Caterpillars

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

“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

Neuroplasticity confirms: We can create the life we want!

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.

Emotional Contagion

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?

Youtube Channel

Here is a video in which I catch up with people who have met me in the past:

Please visit me on YouTube

The Benefits of Laughing

What makes you laugh? –  For me, it is quite frequently my husband, who has a gift of seeing and pointing out the humor in things that I sometimes take (too) seriously.

Laughter is beneficial for our physical and mental health. It can lower our blood pressure and improve concentration. In an emotional way, laughing can it can alleviate stress and anxiety. Even spiritually, laughter can help us feel more connected and whole.

You don’t feel like laughing? – Even so, try doing it anyway, because our body does not know the difference between fake and real laughter.

Please share what make you laugh happily!

Grounding Myself In Nature

Much has been said about how our modern life tends to create a disconnect with nature.

In my coaching (and in my life) I seek to keep things simple:

I need nature to survive: It gives me food, it gives me air, it gives me space to move and space to experience my connection with all other living things. When I get really calm I experienced that I AM PART of this wonderful world.

What does it look like for you when you feel grounded? – Please drop me a note!