CONQUER FEAR: Finding the Courage to Live a Christian Life in Troubling Times
Coach Jay penned the newest arrival to our line of products! It’s a read you can get done in under three hours, however the content can help you live boldly for the rest of your days! It’s written in a Christian tone as Coach Jay is unapologetically, yet respectfully, an open believer in Jesus Christ. He wrote this book initially as an article, however the amount of topics in it led to a length that is best suited for a book. So what will you find in this book? Well…:
How to live unapologetically as a Christian in tough times
If the world is going to get crazier (spoiler- it does) and how you can live boldly in it
Areas of strength found in the Bible and how YOU can apply them to your life today!
Some of his fears and how he was called out by an 11 year old!
How we let fear into our lives without even realizing that is what we are doing
How to CONQUER FEAR
and much more
Grab your copy today! You get it an any updates he is inspired to add! We would love to hear what you think about this book by leaving a review below and wherever you bought it!
Today I am going to share two AMAZING life coaching hacks with you, along with a story or two. When I first heard of the concept I am going to share with you many moons ago, I figured it was something stupid. You know, I knew everything back then. My life coach pushed me to utilize it, this was when we had owned a fitness center and at times I would do literally nothing. It turns out, when I’m in a productivity funk this life coaching hack is a game changer. If I let this life coaching hack become a game changer, because I’m human and sometimes can’t get out of my own way. However, I digress and today isn’t that type of day. The other day was, I saw where I went wrong, and adjusted yesterday. Regardless, I double digress. Oh, and I’ll give you a few ideas at the bottom of the page so you don’t hit the funk I did the other day, and if you do you can jump right out of it!
Always Be Prepared! But HOW?! Awesome Life Coaching Hack #1
If you’re anything like me, and chances you are, you need motivation at times. When my to-do list is 3 1/2 pages long, sometimes I will simply stare at it, go to Facebook (after the article make sure you check out our Guided Steps Coaching Facebook Page!). For me that means lists. My father once told me:
Nothing exists if it isn’t written down
My awesome dad Jim
I told you to make a list
What’s he know anyway? Apparently a LOT, plus he has tons of cool stories and is awesome all around. I digress, yet again. His idea of lists was another life coaching hack I have used many times over. It makes sense, there’s been times I have gone an entire day and gotten a TON done, but I didn’t accomplish things that led to stressful time management issues. I didn’t have a list. I know you’re like me with this, the store and not having a list. I go through so many figurative rabbit holes in the store it is crazy! I’m staying away from carbs but I will end up in the bakery, dog food aisle (and cat food), baby aisle (even though I’m not having any more kids), and even the toy aisle (because shopping last minute for presents is something else I foolishly do). Before you know it I have scanned half my items and forgot the silly Greek yogurt for a marinade I wanted to make. Literally the whole purpose of going to the store. I also spent over $75 on stuff I had no intention on buying.
Would my results have been different if I brought a list? Based solely on past experience I can confidently say yes they would have. Keep reading because I’m going to throw some good stuff your way.
When Do You Use a List?
This may seem like a dumb question, however I have learned that there is typically never a foolish question. Not never, sorry grammar police, but typically. There have been some foolish questions I have asked. But with a legal background, sometimes you just have to ask. Any who, here is a list of things you may want to consider making lists for (if you can add anything make sure you post it in the comments!).
Goals (THIS IS CRUCIAL! And has proven my father’s theory many times over!!)
Bucket list (Sort of like goals but with a bucket)
Grocery shopping
Chores
How something flows (directions/recipes I will read in list format all day, but if the recipe is like a 9 page story I am off that page faster than my boys when I say they can play a video game).
Hierarchy (Like baby names, “I like names in this order,” that way you can pick a first and middle easier – you’re welcome! FYI I was told I will never pick a child’s name, apparently Archemedus Bartholomew is too 15th century-ish)
Literally anything and if you’re a baseball coach like I was this past Fall your lineup and fielding roster (every kid should play somewhere different and learn, if you can’t do that don’t coach young kids) depends on it.
Your 20 favorite songs in case someone ever asks you – you can say “BAM let me go to my list”
Awesome life coaching hack number one has been satisfied. HOWEVER can it be used for the second awesome life coaching hack? You be the judge. (It really can and should honestly).
Awesome Life Coaching Hack #2 – The 5 Minute Rule!
If you need motivation or even a little bit of help with procrastination, this is a great tool to use or rule to follow and is surely one of the best life coaching hacks to get moving! It’s common in cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) technique. The main part of this is taking just FIVE minutes to commit to something!
So Coach, How Do We Do This Life Coaching Hack?
Simple, follow this list and boom. Done (MAYBE).
Set a timer on your laptop or phone, egg timer even, something. Set it for 5 minutes and 15 seconds.
Get ready, because when the time gets down to 5 minutes you are giving whatever you set yourself 5 minutes to do all your effort. Need to write a letter? Brainstorm for 5 minutes. Build a website? Design the blocks and what goes where. 5 minutes to start doing whatever you set out to do. It’s only 5 minutes, you got it!
After 5 minutes see how you feel, did you get enough done? Maybe, maybe not. BUT you started it and are in a good position to keep on going.
Why Does This Life Coaching Hack Work?
This life coaching hack takes on procrastination/getting started right at the toughest part – starting the task. What you’re doing is playing with your head, instead of saying “I need to write a whole letter?!” you see it as “it’s only 5 minutes”. Anytime you find yourself procrastinating, use this simple yet very effective life coaching hack!
Mindset Coaching Versus Life Coaching: Is it all the same?
Mindset coaching is often characterized as being the same as life coaching, however that’s not really the case at all. Think of the two as a diagram of the human body and each body is an area of coaching. Life coaching would cover from the top of the head to the bottom of the feet whereas mindset coaching is only the head. That’s not to take away from the importance of mindset coaching at all. In fact our mindset controls our perception, this is how we decide if the glass is half full, half empty, or that we’ve already enjoyed half of it.
Here’s where it gets confusing, a life coach can surely do mindset coaching, but a mindset coach may no do life coaching. Although a coach can practice in numerous areas and be highly successful at getting results, mindset coaches typically focus on… well the mind. In fact some coaches go as far as studying hypnotherapy for decades. If you’re in to that, it could help! We have seen too many negative results, albeit there are positive results we have seen, to even consider it. There are a variety of different forms and approaches that they use and undergo extra training on, as a few of us have.
From here out, most of this article is going to focus on mindset coaches unless there’s a need. It was important to clear that up though…
So what does a mindset coach help with aside from just saying the obvious “mind” aspects?
Glad you asked, different coaches will say different things however there is a general consensus of areas the mindset coach generally will find high levels of success. Instead of saying the mind, let’s say they focus on thoughts, how you think, and coach you toward seeing things differently. That’s not all, look at this handy list below:
Self confidence
Self perception
Motivating yourself
Decluttering your mind
Facing your fears
And general awareness and consciousness
Unlike traditional coaches, a mindset coach may talk to you more than ask you questions and that’s because they are more of what’s known as an “instruction” type of coach.
Want to try an exercise on your own?
Because we have been around for millenniums I probably did not think this up myself, however I have not seen it played or mentioned myself yet. It is similar to our Wheel of Life where you get to see your results in front of you! I’ve made this into a mindset coaching game:
2 Players (You and someone else)
A notepad & Pen
A good unique story based around one of the following:
A goal you want to achieve
A day in your daily life
A realistic story about a dream you have
Even if it doesn’t sound fun yet, you can make anything fun. This story needs a beginning, middle and end. You are the narrator! In the story you are like one of those little block figures in Minecraft being guided around. There will be a beginning, middle, and end. Just like a real story. What was it like in the beginning? You need 2 small, but realistic problems you will face and one big obstacle! The problems have to be explained as well as the obstacle including if you got around it or not. Then an ending.
The other person is going to ask questions surrounding your problem BUT has to put their hand up! The questions have to be realistic as well, relating to the problems OR the actions of the guided you. They also have to write down your positive words and phrases used (can, was able to, etc) as well as your negative words and phrases used! DO NOT try for a score, it will defeat the purpose of the game which is to see where you are as far as a natural positive or negative mindset! A positive word/phrase is worth a point, a negative word deducts a point. At the end, check out your score.
What’s The benefit of this game again?
You get to spend some quality time with a loved one or trusted friend instead of a mindset coach. You get to see how your mindset works positively or negatively by nature. Again, do not try for a score! This is a free mindset coaching game I have used and the results were pretty neat!
This article will have a little something for everyone. Adversity is an aspect of life we will all face in many different stages of life. In our day to day living, in recovery, and as part of Christian growth if you are a believer! At the end we will have a little take away you can do to start facing adversity better, increase your Christian growth, and in general develop your character a bit more.
When it comes to Christiangrowth, something we need to look at especially is character! Christian character is especially in the world we live. I was looking into this topic and saw that it’s popularity has gone down incredibly since 2003. This post is all about fear and standing up to adversity and how we can start fueling up to live a full life! Let’s look at a great example of Christian growth and see if there’s anything we can put into practice.
Our character is going to be challenged constantly, maybe not so much with us being called out but rather how we interact and react to our surroundings. In our faith, this is to be an expected part of Christian growth and we are told we will face adversity. At times we are going to have to be a defender of what we believe in. Although it is geared toward Christian growth anyone can take something from the following story! Look at Steven, in the Synagogue as discussed in the book of Acts, this is a great example of where we should want to be in our Christian growth and Christ like character! He was in a dicey situation, he was calling out the religious elite for not adhering to the Holy Spirit. From what Acts says, it was indeed a testy situation!
Biblical example of how where our Christian growth should lead
He spoke and the elders there disputed him but could not get past his wisdom! The power he showed they said gave him the face of an angel! The resistance from the religious establishment was not having what he said and countered him. We can only imagine the yelling and screaming that was going on. Yet he did not scream or fight aggressively giving them back an attitude. His wisdom and the spirit with which he was speaking, they just couldn’t get past it! If you ask me, that’s Christian growth!
When the resistance came, Steven stayed peaceful and calm and his continence was “glowing”. How cool is that? We could never do that, I mean if people were downplaying something we knew to be true, how would we act out? If someone was yelling at me as a man would probably get testy, wouldn’t you? When opposition comes at us at time we fold normally, it’s almost a fight or flight situation at times!
This is spiritual power God freely provides us through wisdom and He freely provides that wisdom. Proverbs 1:9 states:
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
We may not feel strong, look at Steven’s story in Acts 7 with the elders enraged! He was called to stand up for what is right. It can be scary at times, but with any habit it becomes easier and easier to do what is right. When Steven was being stoned to death, he not only gave up his soul, he said in a loud voice that their sin not be held against them. We serve an audience of one. Sometimes especially if we are scared or face push back, we need to look at Steven. His final words remind me of someone else, Christ Jesus.
Part of that wisdom God provides allows us to be courageous, courage that matches our conviction! What do you do to stand up for your conviction? Do you stand courageously for a just cause? We are called to step out of our comfort zones and stand up for our values. Not do be silent in the face of adversity, but to speak kindly yet boldly about our beliefs.
Examples of showing our character?
Character, although is an important aspect of Christian growth, is a vital aspect of every person’s personal growth and development. Our strength to “fight” good battles! Look at the saying “One day at a time” which is a common and popular adage among individuals in recovery. Many in recovery firmly believe in the idea that wisdom will help them avoid situations that could jeopardize their sobriety. So what happens when adversity comes their way, say where the booze is flowing at a family party? “Hey can I get you a beer?” “No thank you, I don’t drink.” “Aww come on everyone is drinking, it’s a party man.” “I really can’t drink, I’m an alcoholic.” “One probably won’t kill you, will it?” “You know what, one is too much and a thousand will never be enough. But if you have a can of soda I could go for one of those. But I’m not going to drink alcohol.”
Parents are faced with adversity all the time. Sometimes it’s easiest to throw in the towel for a regular battle, but down the road are left with a “wow, I wish I stuck with that.” It’s easy to shelf something, especially under stress and tuck and roll. With children as parents we are trying to help mold them not to be replicas of ourselves, but able to navigate this world. For example, many kids will fight over going to a party that lasts into the night, especially in high school! “All my friends are going, I’ll be fine.” You could tell them “no, because I said so.” What that’s not showing them is you respect their desire, you’re an authoritarian. So how can you say no? “You know what honey, I was your age before and I’ve seen what happens when a party goes wrong. I’m not comfortable, it’s not you I worry about (unless it is!), it’s everyone else who may not have the same idea of fun as you.” “Ugh, you’re so unfair, I’ll be the loser for not going.” “If that group of kids will think you’re a loser because you can’t go out and potentially get in trouble, are they really worth being around to begin with? You know what, record me and my reasoning and play it for them.” When they raise their voice, stay calm. I was a teenager before, that voice will get raised. Just remind them you want respect and you respect them enough to explain why you say no.
To Make You Think
Can you name an area of adversity you’ve faced before?
What did you do where you feel you handled it well?
What could you have done better?
How can you apply this to you personal development or Christian growth? We would love to read your thoughts in the comment section! If you liked the read we would appreciate a share!
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