Often my clients ask me “How do you get motivated to run? How can I get inspired? How do I become disciplined?” I often reply that there is no magic formula. You get it by doing. The mental qualities you need are all linked like a chain. If you give exercise a try and see results, even if it is as simple as feeling good that you got out the door, you’ll become motivated to repeat the exercise. One woman who shares this philosophy is Nicole DeBoom. An ironwoman competitor and founder of http://www.skirtsports.com, I imagine how many times she has managed to “just show up” for her work and her training. (An Ironman distance event equates to a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride plus a 26.2-mile run.) To find out if she is procrastination- proof, I reached out to her with a few questions:

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Sometimes you stumble upon an offering that truly makes your life easier. Recently, my sister located a resource that provided us with a means for locating assistance for my mom, who suffers from dementia: http://www.itsallaboutaging.com/blog/?p=230

In an effort to keep my mom’s mind stimulated and her body active, I had been researching services online which provide options for caregiving on a basic level to seniors. My interest was to find a local woman who would understand my mom’s situation and act as a companion to her in my absence. The site through which we found assistance was http://www.Care.com.

The company was started by Sheila Lirio Marcelo, a seasoned entrepreneur whose passion for business and family led to the founding of Care.com in 2006. After enduring frequent struggles to find quality caregivers for her two boys, Sheila recognized a lack in resources available to help families address their care needs. Care.com was created to fill that void. After we were paired with a successful match for my mom, I asked Sheila (SLM) for her perspective on the importance of developing a healthy network of friends and partners…

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In 2002, I was in the midst of a career transition and decided to focus my attention on volunteering for a cause. At a local road race, I happened upon a non-profit organization which spoke directly to me, http://www.girlsontherun (GOTR). Beyond the smiling faces of the pre-teens basking in the glow of their first 5K, what I found was a group with a mission to educate and prepare young women for a lifetime of self-respect and healthy living.

Girls on the Run® is an experiential learning program that combines training girls ranging in age between 8-14 for a 5K running event with lessons that assist in their overall social development. It was founded in 1996 by Molly Barker in Charlotte, North Carolina. Today, the program operates in over 120 cities across North America, with tens of thousands of girls and women participating.

The best teachers in life are those who have something to share, and a true passion for sharing it. Molly Barker has both. I admire her humor, grace, and humility. I am inspired by the significant impact her program will have on future generations of women. It is not just Molly’s accomplishments that move me; it is the quality and class that define her work. I asked Molly (MB) to share her thoughts on what it means to “run her own race” in life…

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When I first meet with potential clients, I review their current situations and discuss what they would specifically like to achieve in the first 90 days of working together. Often the goals are lofty: get out of massive amounts of debt; find a partner; locate a different career in a new sector. Most individuals feel stuck and don’t know where to begin. I implement the use of the acronym, S.M.A.R.T. in order to create specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-limited guidelines for motivation between sessions. As their coach, my ambition is to support them in successfully reaching these milestones but I encourage taking initial “turtle” steps.

It is often in the minor efforts where we begin to change and build momentum. Although it takes some time and patience, I believe that it is possible to conquer big challenges just by starting small. 

In the follow-up to their bestselling book, THE POWER OF NICE, co-authors Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval show us how to harness the power of small to improve and transform your life in their new book, http://www.thepowerofsmallbook.com/. From making a connection with an employer during an interview to keeping track daily of personal spending, this book reinforces the benefits of refocusing attention on the little things. Making a decision to outline a plan is the first step, but showing up for the task is the second, (and sometimes more difficult) part. I asked Robin Koval (RK) about the ways that she has managed to stay true to her promises and to “just show up.”

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Through the lens of working with corporate executives within finance, I’ve had a chance to observe senior level professionals up close. When I’ve had an opportunity to ask them what they want more of, “satisfaction” (or some variation thereof) seems inevitably to be the answer. This seems odd to me, given the material riches that many of these individuals have managed to amass.

But it’s not just corporate executives. Happiness or contentment seems altogether elusive for many of us – the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow that evaporates as soon we get there. Rather than focus on “product” – I often encourage my clients to focus on “process” as the key to finding the more real and lasting joy they are seeking. This usually means work, of course – and a very thorough and honest appraisal of what we really want out of life.  

Dan Baker, founder of the Life Enhancement Program at Canyon Ranch, is a medical psychologist who believes that often, what we truly desire is to be free from the two basic, survivalist fears that have haunted us since the Stone Age: the fears of not having enough and of not being enough. He has devoted his working life to teaching people how to be happy, and how to avoid many of the happiness traps we set for ourselves. I recently caught up with Dan (DB) to ask him about some of his work habits, and about how he personally is able to “tune out the noise”…

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