Are you tired of reading about personal coaches who can turn your life around if you pay them enough and follow their step by step coaching program only to find out that they are telling you what you already know and have heard from so many others ?
What if you came across one person who was commited to truly helping you achieve what YOU wanted. Not just telling you what to do to change but actually showing and helping you. Wouldn't you call that coaching with a difference.
We all have dreams and desires yet most of us have no idea of how to attain them. We begin to search for help and come across dozens of personal coaches and courses that all claim to be the ideal one for you.
But how these coaches know what it is you need? That their program is the right one for you. Do they know you? Do they have some kind of physic ability which enables them to understand someone they have never even met?
This is where coaching with a difference is truly different. When a coach is coaching with a difference they don't claim to turn your life around if you work with them or buy one of their courses, simply because they don't know you yet.
Only after a personal call or meeting with you can you know if that certain coach is someone who you can trust and open up to. Only then can you know if the collaboration will give you exactly what it is YOU need.
It is though of great importance that you understand that you are going to be taken out of your comfort zone. A place where many of us have been in for a great number of years. This is why you must have "met" and talked to your coach before beginning a program with them. No one opens up to a person they don't know, especially if it is about issues they have kept bottled up for a long time.
So before you buy or register for any coaching program or course, get the person on the phone, see how you feel while talking to them. If it feels right, then you are on the road to a sometimes rocky but wonderful start of living the life as you truly desire to.
Coaches who teach coaching with a difference will be honored to be your mentor.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Long distance relationships...do they last?
This question was posed to me by a reader of Eden & Elle magazine . She wrote me a letter explaining that she was involved with a man on the other side of the ocean (she's from Utah, he lives in England), one that she had never seen before and was now wondering what the chances of their relationship succeeding was.
They had met several months earlier on a forum, had started mailing with one another, their communication had evolved to calling each other on an almost daily basis. They were now in love and working hard to make their relationship develop and mature.
Since I have moved several times in my life from country to country, and continent to continent, I have had my fair share of leaving behind my (at the time) boyfriend and trying to make a long distance relaitonship work. Of course, I was only a teenager and I don't think you can really compare those relationships to adult mature relationships, but still.
Relationships are already a challenge when the partners are able to see each other on a frequent basis, they get to know each others' flaws as well as their good characteristics. They get to explore each other not only emotionally but physically as well, something which isn't possible in long distance relationships.
Yet, in this cyber age, where people spend so much time behind their computers, it is only logical that they begin to elaborate their efforts in their search for happiness. Not to mention the fact that its easier to talk to someone who can't see you, who you can open up to and tell your deepest darkest secrets to and then with a click of the mouse erase from your life like they never existed if they say something you don't appreciate.
Bottom line is, I think that her relationship has just as much chance to work out as it would when she was dating someone in her hometown. Maybe even more so, as the relationship is built solely on emotional attraction, not physical attraction, so you know for sure that your partner is not in the relationship just for the sex.
They had met several months earlier on a forum, had started mailing with one another, their communication had evolved to calling each other on an almost daily basis. They were now in love and working hard to make their relationship develop and mature.
Since I have moved several times in my life from country to country, and continent to continent, I have had my fair share of leaving behind my (at the time) boyfriend and trying to make a long distance relaitonship work. Of course, I was only a teenager and I don't think you can really compare those relationships to adult mature relationships, but still.
Relationships are already a challenge when the partners are able to see each other on a frequent basis, they get to know each others' flaws as well as their good characteristics. They get to explore each other not only emotionally but physically as well, something which isn't possible in long distance relationships.
Yet, in this cyber age, where people spend so much time behind their computers, it is only logical that they begin to elaborate their efforts in their search for happiness. Not to mention the fact that its easier to talk to someone who can't see you, who you can open up to and tell your deepest darkest secrets to and then with a click of the mouse erase from your life like they never existed if they say something you don't appreciate.
Bottom line is, I think that her relationship has just as much chance to work out as it would when she was dating someone in her hometown. Maybe even more so, as the relationship is built solely on emotional attraction, not physical attraction, so you know for sure that your partner is not in the relationship just for the sex.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
U.S.A. Healthcare - The American Dream ?
With the 2008 elections on their way, each candidate has their own strategy to want to improve the health care in the U.S. In a country where almost EVERYTHING is possible and that still draws many migrants, be they legal or illegal to achieve the "American dream", it sure has a bad reputation when it comes to health insurance.
I happened to watch Oprah today, the show was about the movie Michael Moore had made called "Sicko". The movie has caused quite a controversy, not only by its candor but by bringing the many problems that the American health care system has out into the open for all to see and hear. There are 50 million people in the States who aren't insured, that's huge don't you think?
Here in Europe, especially in the Benelux, health care is the same for everyone. Whether you are the son of the garbage disposal man or the son of the C.E.O., you will be treated the same. Of course, we have the opportunity to pay for additional private insurance, but this isn't really necessary, unless you prefer, for example, to have a private room when staying in hospital.
The average we pay annually for health care is +/- €100,00 ($ 130,00) PER family. When we visit a G.P. , we receive an invoice which we deliver to the health care company we CHOSE to be insured with, and we receive approx. 75% back from what we paid the G.P. in the first place. Medicine prescribed by the doctor is also 70% - 90% of what you would pay if you weren't insured. The same applies for specialists (though this may be 65% depending on what he/she is specialized in). Everyone, young and old, has a special card which looks like a credit card. It has the details of the person on the computer chip, and is used whenever we have to enter hospital or buy things at the pharmacy. It basically shows that our medical history is up to date and that we are insured.
You cannot NOT be insured here, that's how easy and fair it is.
There is a difference however, when it comes to being self-employed. The annual payments are higher then, and you have to choose between basic health care and all inclusive health care, but the amount also depends on how much you earn. Yet even then the annual payments are between €750,00 ($900,00)- €1500,00 ($1800,00) per year which I believe is a lot less than the average self-employed American has to pay.
As powerful as the U.S. is, maybe its time they learned from the smaller, somewhat "insignificant" countries on how to truly care about their citizens. To me, there are 50 million reasons for doing so. Let's hope that one of the presidential candidates did their homework and listened to what Michael Moore had to say.
I happened to watch Oprah today, the show was about the movie Michael Moore had made called "Sicko". The movie has caused quite a controversy, not only by its candor but by bringing the many problems that the American health care system has out into the open for all to see and hear. There are 50 million people in the States who aren't insured, that's huge don't you think?
Here in Europe, especially in the Benelux, health care is the same for everyone. Whether you are the son of the garbage disposal man or the son of the C.E.O., you will be treated the same. Of course, we have the opportunity to pay for additional private insurance, but this isn't really necessary, unless you prefer, for example, to have a private room when staying in hospital.
The average we pay annually for health care is +/- €100,00 ($ 130,00) PER family. When we visit a G.P. , we receive an invoice which we deliver to the health care company we CHOSE to be insured with, and we receive approx. 75% back from what we paid the G.P. in the first place. Medicine prescribed by the doctor is also 70% - 90% of what you would pay if you weren't insured. The same applies for specialists (though this may be 65% depending on what he/she is specialized in). Everyone, young and old, has a special card which looks like a credit card. It has the details of the person on the computer chip, and is used whenever we have to enter hospital or buy things at the pharmacy. It basically shows that our medical history is up to date and that we are insured.
You cannot NOT be insured here, that's how easy and fair it is.
There is a difference however, when it comes to being self-employed. The annual payments are higher then, and you have to choose between basic health care and all inclusive health care, but the amount also depends on how much you earn. Yet even then the annual payments are between €750,00 ($900,00)- €1500,00 ($1800,00) per year which I believe is a lot less than the average self-employed American has to pay.
As powerful as the U.S. is, maybe its time they learned from the smaller, somewhat "insignificant" countries on how to truly care about their citizens. To me, there are 50 million reasons for doing so. Let's hope that one of the presidential candidates did their homework and listened to what Michael Moore had to say.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
A healthy mind and body without leaving your home
Here in Belgium it was mothers day on August 15th and as a gift from my kids they bought a Wii. For those of you who think it's a rude word, let me explain. A Wii is a game console made by Nintendo, sort of like the play station 3 or the x-box 360. The difference is its innovative new control scheme. Instead of using a traditional controller, the Wii relies on the Wiimote,a device that looks like a standard television remote, and the "nunchuck" attachment for it to control your games.
The system uses infrared sensors to detect the motion of the two devices. The applications of this control scheme make you feel as if you are actually holding whatever item you need to play the game,e.g. where you swing the Wiimote to swing a tennis racket or sword, aim it like a gun and shoot on screen bad guys or even tilt the Wiimote left and right to steer cars.
It was very easy to install, even by my standards, since I'm not tech savvy and I thoroughly enjoyed playing the different games like tennis, bowling and golf. So much so that I woke up the next morning with muscle ache! Nintendo has also introduced brain academy, a game which trains your brain. Initially it was only sold for the DS Lite but now I can "work" on keeping not only my body but my mind fit and healthy too.
If you think its only for the young generation, think again. My mom is 61 years of age and she enjoys playing on the Wii just as much as my kids do. This is the first game console that I have found interesting and fun to do. No more sitting on my butt trying to understand how all the different buttons work with my thumbs (with my eldest getting frustrated because I don't know what I'm doing) but good exercise in the comfort of my own home.
I use it several times a week, sometimes for pure fun, sometimes to help me relax and relieve the stress that undoubtably many people feel throughout their week. For christmas I'm going to buy myself a game called "trauma center second opinion". I've seen how it works on YOUTUBE and it looks really cool! :=)
The system uses infrared sensors to detect the motion of the two devices. The applications of this control scheme make you feel as if you are actually holding whatever item you need to play the game,e.g. where you swing the Wiimote to swing a tennis racket or sword, aim it like a gun and shoot on screen bad guys or even tilt the Wiimote left and right to steer cars.
It was very easy to install, even by my standards, since I'm not tech savvy and I thoroughly enjoyed playing the different games like tennis, bowling and golf. So much so that I woke up the next morning with muscle ache! Nintendo has also introduced brain academy, a game which trains your brain. Initially it was only sold for the DS Lite but now I can "work" on keeping not only my body but my mind fit and healthy too.
If you think its only for the young generation, think again. My mom is 61 years of age and she enjoys playing on the Wii just as much as my kids do. This is the first game console that I have found interesting and fun to do. No more sitting on my butt trying to understand how all the different buttons work with my thumbs (with my eldest getting frustrated because I don't know what I'm doing) but good exercise in the comfort of my own home.
I use it several times a week, sometimes for pure fun, sometimes to help me relax and relieve the stress that undoubtably many people feel throughout their week. For christmas I'm going to buy myself a game called "trauma center second opinion". I've seen how it works on YOUTUBE and it looks really cool! :=)
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Luscious lips....?
It's been just over a week since I had my lips enhanced. One thing I learned is to ask everything BEFORE I have any kind of changes done to my body. Not that I wasn't given the chance to do so during the initial consultation since the surgeon was very patient and answered all and any questions I had but I should have asked more. Then again, if I had known exactly how my lips were going to be enhanced I may not even have had them done.
I knew I was going to need a local anesthetic, what I didn't realize is that that was going to damn well hurt more than the enhancement itself (but I guess that's coz by the time the surgeon injected the liquid I didn't feel anything anymore due to the anesthetic) I also didn't realize that my lips were not going to be exactly the way I wanted them to be as soon as the enhancement was finished so when I looked in the mirror directly afterwards I was shocked!
Fortunately the nurses at the clinic and the doctor himself reassured me that the swelling, which was partly due to the anesthetic and partly due to the "surgery" itself, would go down within the next 24 to 48 hours. And they were right. The area surrounding my lips was almost completely normal at he day after and my lips themselves were looking deliciously full & exactly the way I pictured them to be.
So I am very happy that I had this done, however I would suggest that if you do decide to have any part of your body changed or enhanced, try to find a doctor who can show you what the end result will look like on a computer by means of digital photography or something like that. I didn't and though I personally know the surgeon who did my lips, it was something I should have asked him to show me.
Let me end this by saying I thought about this procedure for about a year before I actually went ahead with it, collecting information, pondering about whether it would make me FEEL happier or not. If it would change anything in my life and to make sure I was only doing this for me, myself and I and no-one else. It's very important that you never have any type of surgery or procedure done unless you are the one that truly feels it will make you feel happier.
I knew I was going to need a local anesthetic, what I didn't realize is that that was going to damn well hurt more than the enhancement itself (but I guess that's coz by the time the surgeon injected the liquid I didn't feel anything anymore due to the anesthetic) I also didn't realize that my lips were not going to be exactly the way I wanted them to be as soon as the enhancement was finished so when I looked in the mirror directly afterwards I was shocked!
Fortunately the nurses at the clinic and the doctor himself reassured me that the swelling, which was partly due to the anesthetic and partly due to the "surgery" itself, would go down within the next 24 to 48 hours. And they were right. The area surrounding my lips was almost completely normal at he day after and my lips themselves were looking deliciously full & exactly the way I pictured them to be.
So I am very happy that I had this done, however I would suggest that if you do decide to have any part of your body changed or enhanced, try to find a doctor who can show you what the end result will look like on a computer by means of digital photography or something like that. I didn't and though I personally know the surgeon who did my lips, it was something I should have asked him to show me.
Let me end this by saying I thought about this procedure for about a year before I actually went ahead with it, collecting information, pondering about whether it would make me FEEL happier or not. If it would change anything in my life and to make sure I was only doing this for me, myself and I and no-one else. It's very important that you never have any type of surgery or procedure done unless you are the one that truly feels it will make you feel happier.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Lips like Angelina Jolie !?!
Have you ever looked closely at a picture of Angelina Jolie? I think she's attractive but not because she is well proportioned, more because she doesn't care what anyone thinks of her and the way she looks. Her lips have been the topic of conversation numerous times as people try to figure out whether they are naturally full or cosmetic surgery has been used.
I like her lips, and natural or not, they suit her. So what if they were cosmetically enhanced, if SHE feels better with herself that way, it's her prerogative. And that's my whole point, when does one have the right to criticize how another looks? Is it not up to the person themselves.
Just look at Mick Jagger, do you really think anyone in their right mind would have their lips enhanced like that?! I doubt it but those lips have become a trademark for Mr. Jagger and if he FEELS comfortable with them, then rock on!
Even though we now live in a society where beauty equals a size 4, it wasn't always this way.In the 1600's women with that same size were considered malnourished and not attractive by society. So, basically it comes down to what the norm of society is. Many doctors maintain that it is not unhealthy to be full bodied--that stress and weight fluctuations are medically more dangerous than weight itself.
When I was a kid I was very skinny. No amount of food I ate would help me gain weight and even though I repeatedly asked the doctor for some form of weight gain products he refused saying that I was healthy and didn't need them. Actually, I didn't mind being so skinny but I was mad at him because I was being teased at school, he wasn't.
In other words outside pressure made me feel as if I was abnormal when in reality I was just thinner than a lot of others, nothing more, nothing less.
So it doesn't matter if you are "too" thin or overweight, what does is your health. That and how you FEEL about yourself is much more important than what society says. Having said this,I'm off to have my droopy thin lined lips plumped up a little tomorrow, but ONLY because I want to.
I like her lips, and natural or not, they suit her. So what if they were cosmetically enhanced, if SHE feels better with herself that way, it's her prerogative. And that's my whole point, when does one have the right to criticize how another looks? Is it not up to the person themselves.
Just look at Mick Jagger, do you really think anyone in their right mind would have their lips enhanced like that?! I doubt it but those lips have become a trademark for Mr. Jagger and if he FEELS comfortable with them, then rock on!
Even though we now live in a society where beauty equals a size 4, it wasn't always this way.In the 1600's women with that same size were considered malnourished and not attractive by society. So, basically it comes down to what the norm of society is. Many doctors maintain that it is not unhealthy to be full bodied--that stress and weight fluctuations are medically more dangerous than weight itself.
When I was a kid I was very skinny. No amount of food I ate would help me gain weight and even though I repeatedly asked the doctor for some form of weight gain products he refused saying that I was healthy and didn't need them. Actually, I didn't mind being so skinny but I was mad at him because I was being teased at school, he wasn't.
In other words outside pressure made me feel as if I was abnormal when in reality I was just thinner than a lot of others, nothing more, nothing less.
So it doesn't matter if you are "too" thin or overweight, what does is your health. That and how you FEEL about yourself is much more important than what society says. Having said this,I'm off to have my droopy thin lined lips plumped up a little tomorrow, but ONLY because I want to.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Poker Anyone?
It's a far stretch from the illegal back room poker games to what poker is now. Poker made the evolutionary jump from being viewed as a game in 2003 to being viewed as a sport in the United States. This mainstream acceptance was due to increased media coverage of high-stakes poker tournaments such as the World Series of Poker and various tournaments on the World Poker Tour.
Although there are a wide variety of ways that poker can be played, the tournament format covered by all of these entities is Texas No Limit Hold’em. In high stakes games, Hold’em is simply the most exciting format of poker, especially when an audience is watching.
With online poker being readily accessible for almost everyone, the number of players has expanded to the unlimited and young and old, women and men enjoy it. Contradictory to what many think, poker is not a game of chance but of mathematical probability and good knowledge of "reading" peoples' behavior. For this reason many poker players wear dark glasses or some form of hat to hide their expressions.
For me, it's a game I am enjoying learning, one where I have to use my brain cells and even though I'm a real novice I get fired up when I feel I have a winning hand, usually one which doesn't coincide with a traditional winners hand.
But....seeing as I don't play for money, I take the risk and several times have found myself winning that certain hand. I haven't figured out yet if that's due to luck or being talented at it so I'll leave that in the middle but the exhilarated feeling remains all the same.
I've been thinking about starting a ladies poker night once a month...anyone care to join?
Although there are a wide variety of ways that poker can be played, the tournament format covered by all of these entities is Texas No Limit Hold’em. In high stakes games, Hold’em is simply the most exciting format of poker, especially when an audience is watching.
With online poker being readily accessible for almost everyone, the number of players has expanded to the unlimited and young and old, women and men enjoy it. Contradictory to what many think, poker is not a game of chance but of mathematical probability and good knowledge of "reading" peoples' behavior. For this reason many poker players wear dark glasses or some form of hat to hide their expressions.
For me, it's a game I am enjoying learning, one where I have to use my brain cells and even though I'm a real novice I get fired up when I feel I have a winning hand, usually one which doesn't coincide with a traditional winners hand.
But....seeing as I don't play for money, I take the risk and several times have found myself winning that certain hand. I haven't figured out yet if that's due to luck or being talented at it so I'll leave that in the middle but the exhilarated feeling remains all the same.
I've been thinking about starting a ladies poker night once a month...anyone care to join?
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