David Herz, Coach

I help You lead the life of your dreams:

1. We get clear on your goals,

2. I help you notice what's between you and achieving those goals,

3. We agree on an action plan,

4. You make promises in line with that plan,

5. I help you stay accountable, in action and on track.

My job is to listen for your greatness and what is possible and keep that always present. Your job is to be honest about what comes up, stay in communication, and keep your promises.

{For a more complete description or to get started with me, click on the Full Story link below.}

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If you are like me, you sometimes get thrown off track. Most of a day goes by and nothing I had intended to do is done. At this point in time, I often just write off my day, and hope tomorrow is better. Maybe I even make a plan for tomorrow to be better.

But I've been around for a while. I know that today, right now, this moment, is all that I've got in life. Yesterday is gone, this morning is gone, tomorrow may never be. This is nice and all, but noting this doesn't usually help me get back on track. Today I found something that does.

Every win helps us think of ourselves as a winner. When we have a to do list ten items long, and we've done nine already, we have nine wins already and we get how close we are to done. We can pat ourselves on the back – please do – but knowing we're this close usually gives us plenty of motivation to win our game for the day. It's just one more item.

So this is what I did to put nine wins behind me today so that I could get on with what I intended. I listed a bunch of things I did today – got up, went to pray, ate breakfast, checked my e-mail, got on facebook and commented on some statuses, went over some house plans, worked on a puzzle, put some laundry in the dryer, played Luxor, and took a nap - and then I listed what I still intend to do (write a blog post, contact two potential clients), and all of a sudden I was like wow, I've only got a two items left to win my day. So now, an hour and a half later, I've written two blog posts, played a game with my second son, and made some progress on a course that I am taking. So I have one item left to win today, and I know I'll get it done.

When I look at that list, one e-mail to my potential clients is a no brainer. I can't help but win.

So here is the instant reset: 1 just list what you've already done with no judgment or invalidation, 2 list one item you are committed to achieving today, 3 check off all the items you have already done, 4 notice that you've got one item left, and 5 go do it.

I woke yesterday and rose to pray as usual. I took the dog's leash and went out. I was struck by how he is with the world. Quite simply, his appearance at my appearance with the leash was one of joy. I thought to myself how a human might relate to the same situation.

Here is a creature who loves to run free, and he is chained up to a bathtub in the side yard at least 23 hours a day, gets food when we remember, and is excited when we bring our food waste to the compost pile.. When someone shows up for a ten minute walk he is just bouncy. My point is he just accepts his context and plays from there.

I think of how many a human would relate, lament his chains, moan that he must suffer the elements when others can come inside, and suffer that he only gets out ten minutes a day. He couldn't enjoy his ten minutes because he would know he is returning to his bonds.

I don't think the dog has any capacity to choose. He just is and that's okay. However humans do, and so often we choose to dwell on the negative, the mortgage that must be paid instead of the fact that there is a roof over our head, the lack of a job instead of the capacity to work, the extra few pounds instead of the fact that we have what to eat.

So what to do. Orientating ourselves to the positive is quite achievable. As Shawn Achor of GoodThink relates about eleven minutes into his Ted Talk, it's a matter of gratitude, reflection, exercise and acts of kindness.

To get started, pick one. I think gratitude is the easiest. Start thanking people. Start noticing what they can be thanked for. Some people always seem to have a smile for us. Some will always pick up the phone when we call. Note it and say thank you at least three times a day. Try it for three weeks and let me know how it's going.

This is simply a wonderful cue, and an exercise I think we should all take on from time to time. It's inside of tasks like these that we are reminded why we should go on. If you haven't taken the time to take stock like this in a while, I suggest you do so, even if it's at the cost of your visit to my site.

So I am most proud of the difference I make with other people. It's why I do what I do. And my most shining example of this is my children. They are simply amazing. They have respect, a sense of wonder, a desire to play, and wills of their own. They are complete and happy human beings, and I am clear I am part of what made them that way.

I am also proud of my mind and my heart. I said it yesterday, but it's worth reminding myself that I think and connect and care about people, and that is part of what allows me to make the difference I make. I read and I absorb and I learn, and I am not afraid to build things or take them apart. I love to see how things work and help others make things work better for themselves. Sometimes I even help and challenge myself.

And as I write, I wonder if I am tooting my own horn just a bit too much, but I don't think that has ever been my problem. I'm more likely to make what I do small than the other way around. It doesn't respect me, or the folks I could help who just don't know what I am worth.

So my invite is for you to take some time and really be with who you can be for others and what is great about yourself. Sometimes it takes some digging, but once you get started, you just might note you've touched a life or two in your time, and when you give yourself permission, there is no telling how far you can go.

It's day two and this follows so nicely from yesterday. I notice that I like to hold grudges. So I called the people of yesterday's shoe story, reached one of them, and was told he never said any such thing. I haven't gotten to the bottom of it yet, but I certainly feel better having let that part go. And I was thanked for having reached out to clear it up.

So what people thank me for is taking care of them and making a difference in their lives. It's what I do. It's why I have gone into this business.

And what I am thankful for is that I actually think. I take things apart. I make connections. I like to notice new combinations, and to paraphrase James Altucher, I like to see ideas have sex. I like to help people take a different perspective of what's in front of them, and they thank me for this as well.