The Fountain of Youth

The quickest way to feel younger and  more vibrant is to adopt a positive attitude.  To be grateful for every day and every moment you have.

When we adopt this attitude of gratitude we elevate our divine spirit and it feeds our thinking and bodies. We are humbled by the blessings of God and honor him by sharing our love and kindness with the world. With the elevated feeling we feel more respectful of our family, friends, and ourselves. We look to nurture our bodies with good food, exercise, and rest.

We develop stronger relationships and emanate a consideration for all of life. The simple steps of

1.   Placing God first and having the the Faith that with God "All things are possible"A good attitude.  
2. An attitude of gratitude and a confidence that all is well
3.  Better nutrition. Think Fasting. Think fruits and veggies and good protein and fats
4. Exercise. Simple movement, a walk, a run. Weight training. A simple exercise band can help build and maintain lean muscle
5.  Rest. A good night's Sleep.
6. Love and Kindness.  Practice loving kindness in your daily living.
7.  Fresh Air and Sunshine.
8. Grounding or Earthing.  Get outside in your bare feet and plug-in to the grass. Ground can reduce inflammation by tapping into the earth's electromagnetic energy.
   
9. Deep Breathing. Practice deep breathing by holding  an inhale for a count of four and then exhaling for a count of four. Oxygenate the blood and reduce stress.
   

These simple acts will enhance your sense of well being and you will feel younger than you have in years.

Try it you will be amazed.

With Love,


Coach K

Alcohol

Let's call Alcohol what it truly is a POISON.  Look at the destruction and devastation that it has wrought. How many brilliant lives have been decimated. Look at the tens of billions in added health care costs and lost productivity, broken lives, DUI's, and marriages.  All for a little firewater.

What is the attraction?

Alcohol ruined my father's life and his marriage.  Why would you trade a drink for giving up your entire life and well being.  You must not think highly of yourself or your future is my guess. The biggest challenge we face is that when we as adults adopt the drinking lifestyle we of course pass this down to our children and the next generation. What a waste. Is this what we really want.

Very interesting how our social lives revolve around alcohol whether it is a sporting event at a bar, a wedding, or a golf outing. Why does everything center around the consumption of alcohol. It has negatively touched all of our lives in some way.

We see how the marketing of alcohol has focus on the younger crowd. How the booze has been sweetened to make it taste like soda.  A multi billion dollar industry separating us from our hard earned cash and our precious health and well being with our children directly in the cross hairs.

We know how over consumption wrecks our bodies and we know many of us have functioning addictions or worse.  Take the step to get help. Stop poisoning our bodies and our lives. People care about you and your well being even when you may not. If you have children, think of them. Is this drink worth it, do I really want my child to remember me as a drunk. Yes, we can change.

Peer pressure is for children and remember we are not in high school any more.

With Love,

Tom Kaufmann
Coach K
tkaufmanncoaching.com

Fuel Your Ferrari

Our bodies are our temples.  Yes, we have our fancy cars and we put the best gas we can buy to keep them running at their best, and then we go to the drive thru at McDonald's and fill our bodies with well let just say the nutrition could be better.

Why?

Everything we hope to accomplish are done with our bodies. Why would we pollute it with food and drink that diminishes us.  Why would we treat our cars or other gadgets better than we treat the most wonderful of all machines the human body.

There is a reason we as a population are becoming obese and unhealthy. We feed ourselves junk.  There is a better way.  A way that will get us out of the doctor's office, off the pills, a way that we have us feeling healthy, vibrant, and vital.

A way that will energize, heal, and restore our youthful luster.  And it begins with our food.  When we choose foods that are nutritious and yes delicious, we nourish our  body and spirit. We fuel our  ferrari.  Our engines begin to rev, we get moving again, and restore the balance in our lives.

Start with simple nutrition and build from there.  A simple apple a day is an excellent place to begin.  Start on the road to a new healthier you one bite at a time. You can do it!

With Love,

Tom Kaufmann
Coach K
tkaufmanncoaching.com

Now That Is What I Call Strong!

My friend serves as a constant reminder and source of inspiration. She has a boat load of children and her husband was recently diagnosed with a debilitating illness.  Spending all of her time raising the children and caring for her husband is incredible.  Waking up one day and finding her whole world changed in an instant.

She spends the majority of each day driving back and forth to the office, which is normally just a 30 minute ride.  He is now in a wheel chair and requires her almost full attention.  Meanwhile, she is dealing with the needs of her family and deciding what's for dinner tonight. All the while she would like to just sit, cry, and wake up from this little trick that life is playing on her.  She is the very definition of selfless.

How does she do it?

I am amazed, humbled, and in awe.  Anyone that thinks that men are stronger than women are fools. Yes, we may be able to lift more weight, but how many of us have her kind of strength. Incredible.  I have no room to complain about my simple ordinary challenges.

Look around you.  Are your challenges really the big obstacles that we make them out to be, or have we blown them out of proportion as we focus on our own little worlds.  When we step outside ourselves, we gain a new perspective and help us realize that our own challenges are really just little hurdles that we can easily surmount.

Life provides us teachers or Masters on a daily basis.  We just need to be good students and look for the lesson. When the student is ready the teacher will appear.

Thank you Master.

With Love,

Tom Kaufmann
Coach K
tkaufmanncoaching.com

Spring Cleaning: Today's Treasure Tomorrow's Trash

We were doing a little spring cleaning around the house the other day and gathering clothes to donate, old toys to get rid of, and throwing out old and obsolete items. And it got me thinking of how much time and energy we spent working for and acquiring many of those very same items that years ago we "needed" to have and just a few short years later we were throwing away.

The latest cell IPhone 4 has made the Iphone 3 that is only a year old a worthless piece of junk. The latest car models start to make last year's model look like a jalopy. The new fashions make our existing wardrobe old and outdated.  Is this right or true?

We know that all that was once new, today's treasure, becomes tomorrows trash.  When we focus on the things that last, the things that are eternal all the noise and the trinkets in our lives fade and the real things take on a brilliant shine.

Think of the things that really matter to you, the things you would take with you if the building was on fire.  Our loved ones, our health, our relationships, our passions.  Let that be our focus and the place we spend our time and treasure.

With Love,

Tom Kaufmann
Coach K
tkaufmanncoaching.com

How Do You Define Success

We all have different definitions of success and it is important to understand what drives you.  What are you looking to accomplish and achieve.  Success comes in many different forms and is very personal. 

We see all the rock stars with fame and fortune, we see big Wall streeters with the nice houses and fancy clothes and all the material goodies.  But as we know many of these same folks have broken lives, broken families, other issues that no amount of money will address. 

An important question we need to ask ourselves is how do I want to spend my time, what is my contribution, what do I enjoy doing on a daily basis.  My definition of success may not be the same as yours. My mother raised four boys be herself. I define her as a tremendous success. She doesn't have any degrees, or a great career, or a great net worth, or large retirement account. And I wonder if she would trade the struggle of raising the four of us for some of those other life comforts?

We all get thrown curveballs in life and they may get us off course, but we just keep moving forward, advancing confidently toward our goals, our dreams. 

Plenty of money, cars, and houses may also be how you define success and that is fine also. Wealth and abundance are great achievements, but they are only outputs. 

Success is a very individual and personal matter.  Make sure you decide on how and what you want to do with your life. 

Do you want to be a 

Artist

Painter

Musician

Businessman

Engineer

Film Maker

Dancer

Architect

Lawyer

Doctor

Scientist

Athlete

Teacher

Writer

Environmentalist

Parent

There are a thousand choices but somewhere in that individual choice, you have an inkling, a clue as to what you enjoy doing and it is also something that you are probably naturally good at also. 

We all get caught up in the trappings of wealth and the goodies of life but let us first start we doing doing what we love, spending our time creating our world, designing the life we want, the life we were meant to lead. 

Yes, there is still time.  Begin today, head down a new path, and live the life you deserve. 

With Love,

Tom Kaufmann

Coach K

tkaufmanncoaching.com

Feed Yourself

We all know the importance of good nutrition.  When we eat fresh fruits and vegetables and drink plenty of water we know we are doing right by our bodies.  When we eat junk food and drink too much our bodies become toxic, we become obese, we become listless.

But what do we feed our minds and our spirits.  What books are we reading, what news do we watch, what music do we listen to? Does this input inspire us, better us, advance us, educate or teach us.  If we want something to improve in our lives whether it is health, relationships, careers, business, or finances, it starts with us taking the first step.

I remember reading the classic "get rich book" Think and Grow Rich by Napolean Hill back in my 20's. We were raised in an environment without much money, so I wanted to learn all I could about how to become wealthy.  Thinking the book was going to tell about how to pick stocks or start a business, I found that the book really focused on a person's attitude toward wealth and success. That before you could become something, you first had to be someone.  That before I could experience wealth, I would have to think that it was possible.

From that first book, I have read and listened to many other classics all in effort to improve myself, to learn, to grow, to live a richer, fuller life. Yes, we need to spend time entertaining ourselves, but we also need to feed ourselves the good stuff, books, music, art, nature, activities, and friendships that inspire us, that bring us joy, that help us grow, that help us

Be Better Than We Used to Be

With Love,

Tom Kaufmann
Coach K
tkaufmanncoaching.com

I Am and Your Imagination

The two words I am are important when we are asking for all the good things we desire. When we write our goals and the things we desire we should write as if the things we desire are on the way

I am healthy
I am vibrant
I am love
I am abundant
I am wealthy
I am kindness
I am at peace
I am content
I am inspired
I am fulfilled
I am happy
I am joyous
I am creatively enjoy helping others

Anything you desire begins with asking. Our goals, our dreams, our hopes, and desires begin with the simple task of asking. When we write it down, we take these ideas from our powerful imagination to our consciousness to our reality. We in essence make these ideas real.

Remember there are no limitations with our imagination.  Everything that exists today, the airplane, electricity, the internet, the telephone, the automobile sprung from our IMAGINATIONS.

Begin to imagine the life you desire and deserve, and start with writing it down. Yes it is possible and it starts with you asking, writing, and simply believing.

Albert Einstein said that "Imagination is more important than knowledge"

With Love,

Tom Kaufmann
Coach K
tkaufmanncoaching.com

7 Steps To A Better You

Here a 7 simple steps to a better You. And a better you means living a life that you desire that attracts more of the things you desire in life.

1. Talk and think more in a more positive, hopeful, expectant manner.  Is our thinking and language  a good vibe. Turn down or turn off the news that leads with the bleeding edge. Turn down the negativity and turn up the good news. Yes, we all know there is plenty of good news out there.

2. Believe. All things are possible if we but believe.  The simple act of believing in ourselves is oh so powerful. Yes, we can do and accomplish great things.  If one person can do it, so can you and I.  We need to find supportive people, books, or mentors that believe in us.  And we must first believe in ourselves. Yes, we are worthy.

3. Focus. What we focus on expands. Focus on better health, better relationships, better wealth, better opportunities.

4.  Attitude. We all know that people with better attitudes get better results. When we have a more positive and hopeful outlook, better things seem to find us. When we expect good things, we more often get good results.

5.  Ask. The first step in getting anything you want is of course to ask for it. We learned this as little children to ask for what we want.  Put aside your doubts and fears, and just simply ask.  Stating and writing down what we want is magical. I am healthy, I am abundant, I am love, I am goodness, I am joyful, I am wonderful.

6. Do. Do more positive actions.  Exercise, love, help, care, and nurture. When we take more positive actions with ourselves and our friends we increase our happiness factor.  The simple things like a smile, a compliment, a glance that lets someone know that you care, that you have been there, that you understand. The power is in the doing.

7. Gratitude.  The simple act of saying and living from Thank You for this moment, this day.  Keeps us balanced with the present moment and the hope and expectation of even greater things to come.  Simply living in Thanks. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. We are blessed with the gift of life endowed by our Creator. With God we humbly believe that with God all things are possible. Amen.

More than we know there are people out there that care about us, love us, and want to see us succeed, be happy, and do great things.


With Love,


Coach K

"Do The Thing And It Will Give You Power"

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Do the thing and it will give you power". Yes, it is nice and important to talk and plan, but the power lies in doing.  Doing gives us experience and learning, it empowers and emboldens us.

So let us take the first step and begin.  Yes we can.

With Love,

Tom Kaufmann
Coach K
tkaufmanncoaching.com

Time to Go Down A New Path

After 18 great years at AT&T, the endless conference calls, meetings, long commutes, it was time for me to go down a new path.  Many of us today in these uncertain economic times, are facing similar decisions. What am I going to do next? After having a large part of our lives tied up in the identity of a job or career, we feel lost without that role. The fear begins to rise and we ask ourselves

Now what?

We all face this question at various times in our lives, whether it's a change in a job, career, retirement, family situation, or relationship.  The answer is that we get up and move forward to the next wonderful chapter, the next fantastic adventure in our lives. Yes, there may be the need to balance finding a new job with financial obligations, but we deserve to live a life where we enjoy our daily work, where we get to share our talents. Aristotle said, "Where you talents and the needs of the world cross, there lies your vocation".  And we know that the word vocation is different than the word job or work.  A vocation is a calling that you are particularly suited to, that is a perfect fit, that you would do even if you did not get paid, something that you love to do.

Your hobbies, your talents, the things that you are good at, that you love to do, is where you will find the beginning of this new path.  Begin as a hobby if necessary, talk to supportive friends, talk to people that are now doing what you want to do.  Plant the seed and watch it grow.  Find a mentor. Read books that encourage, explain, and support your dreams.

We all deserve to live a life of joy, adventure, service, abundance and happiness.  Time for a fresh start.

Time for a new path.


With Love,

Tom Kaufmann
Coach K
tkaufmanncoaching.com

Proactive Living

Many of us spend our days in reactive mode. Reacting to our friends, family, coworkers, bosses, the weather, even folks just passing us on our daily travels.  How often do we let the weather, or our energetic children, a grumpy spouse, or a angry traveler set us in a low energy mood.

I remember coming across an idea from my friend Wayne Dyer, stating that we should be like oranges.  An orange doesn't care when it is squeezed or how it is squeezed, you still get delicious orange juice.  Simply, the orange doesn't change based on the outside environment.  We humans on the other hand, when we are "squeezed" sometimes we get kindness, sometimes we get frustration, and sometimes we get anger.

I try to make it a point to not allow the outside environment influence my mood or change the person that I am.  Easier said than done I know. But just like anything else, we can get better we practice.  First, comes the awareness. Why would we let someone or something else have control over our state of mind or emotional well being.  I can choose to be happy, joyful, and loving.  If someone else is choosing another path or is having a low energy moment, that is fine but that has nothing do with us.  We, without judgement, continue enjoying our day.

The people that come into our lives whether it is our family or a person we meet in the store or on the road  are in a way teachers helping us learn the lessons we need to fully grow and mature.  When someone cuts us off on the road and signals us in a less than friendly way, even though they may be the person driving wildly, how do we react.  The driver is the one who is frustrated and angry over a person they don't even know. Certainly, a low energy mood that I want nothing to do with.  You'll never see that person again, and yet how do we react. Do we respond in kind gesturing and yelling at the person, matching their low energy, or do we just passively watch and think that person has other bigger issues than just being able to drive the car properly.

And our families really know how to push our buttons.  It is ironic how the ones closest to us, the ones we do the most for, and love the most can also hurt us the most.  We all know as parents how easy it is to holler at our children when after telling them for the 10th time to clean up their room the clothes are still sitting on the floor and the bed and those rascals just keep smiling at us. Of course, they are teaching us patience, patience, patience and we know how hard a lesson that is to learn.

I keep telling and reminding myself about unconditionally loving and understanding our little lovebirds but as we know it ain't always easy, but we can and will get better and we know another opportunity for teaching and learning is right around the corner.  Yes we can do it! Practice Practice Practice.

With Love,

Tom Kaufmann
Coach K
tkaufmanncoaching.com

Hope Springs Eternal

You have to love the beauty of Spring.  After a long winter, we all come out of our caves and hibernation and look to enjoy the sunshine.  The days are longer the sun shines brighter and everything begins to bloom.  We seem to have a better attitude, a little more pep in our step, a little more hope in our lives.

Faith, Hope, Love
I love focusing on language and how we use words in our everyday lives.  We have all heard the expression Faith, Hope, and Love. Hope is the word that reminds us of Spring. We are filled with the the hope of renewal, of new beginnings, of new growth.  Just like the new blooms, flowers, and greening grass we to can use the Spring season for a time of new adventures, a fresh start, a time to turn the page.

I know many of us have been knocked down or out with this economy or maybe some other hardship in our lives.  We all experience those times is our lives, but Hope Springs eternal means just that, we keep moving forward, we lean on our family and friends to get us through challenging times. We ask for and receive help.  We know that we are valuable, that we are loved, and that there may be passing clouds but the shine will shine through.

Renewal 
Begin this new Spring season with a renewed energy and passion for Life.  We know everyday is a gift and when we remember this simple fact, our life can take on a new luster, a new joy. The mind body connection is part of the human experience. We can use this time of renewal to improve our bodies, our health, eat a little better, exercise a little more, and talk and think in a more Hopeful way. A little improvement in our physical health will make a dramatic improvement in our emotional well being.  Also, the simple act of praying, meditating, or however you connect to your spirit will help with our renewals. One of my favorite daily prayers or meditations is simply two words Thank You.

Here's Hoping for a little more Spring in all our lives!

With Love,

Tom Kaufmann
Coach K
tkaufmanncoaching.com

Life's 5 Universal Laws

We all learned these simple principles as children but along the way toward adulthood may have gotten caught up with life and forgotten that they still ring true today and are just as effective.

5 Universal Principles

1. Ask for what you want. Principle Ask and Receive. Just ask. Focus on the what, for now forget about the how. What do you want?

2. Give. Principle Give and Receive. Many of us think we have nothing or little to give, but giving has very little to do with money.  The giving of friendship, support, a compliment, kindness, or just a little TLC is far greater.

3. Love and Kindness. Principle Treat others how you want to be treated. When we treat ourselves and others with love, kindness, and respect, even those that may not deserve it, we become stronger. When we we become what we desire independent of how others think or act we are telling the world that I like myself and am happy with  myself just as I am. Now that is an empowering idea.

4. What you focus on expands. The Abundance or Expansion Principle is thinking and talking of all the good things in your life today and the things you want tomorrow. When we focus on the positive we get more good things and the reverse is also true. Take notice of the language you use and the thoughts you think on a daily basis. Is the language hopeful, expectant, good, and joyful.  Try the experiment for a day, week, or month talking and thinking in a more positive manner, brush aside any setbacks or down moments they are fleeting. Focus on the joy and watch it expand.

5. Be Thankful for all that you have, for the very gift of life today. The principle of gratitude helps us to focus on the important things in our lives for all the good that shows up in our lives on a daily basis.

With Love,


Coach K
Tom Kaufmann
tkaufmanncoaching.com

Your PhD For Free From The Library

Visa, Mastercard, Amex? Who needs 'em.

Did you know you can become an expert in any subject with ten years or 10,000 hours of study in a given area. That comes to about 1000 hours/year or 2.5 hours/day of focused study, practice, or research. You can in essence receive a PhD in the area of your choosing by focusing your attention on that subject be it athletics, music, art, literature, science, journalism, or any other endeavor.

And the beauty is that you can access most of this expertise at the library for free! I always think that the most valuable card in my wallet is my library card.  We have a tremendous local library that let us access books from all over the county not just at our local library.

Along with focused study, try and find a good teacher or mentor. The Japanese proverb say that a day with a good teacher is worth a 1000 hours of study, and with the right teacher that is true.  Of course studying and learning is enjoyable and fun when you do what you love.

A labor of love.

With Love,


Coach K
Tom Kaufmann
tkaufmanncoaching.com

How to Be a Dad?

Parenting is the greatest responsibility many of us will have in our lifetimes. We all know parenting is not always easy but the rewards far outweigh the tough spots.

When I reflect on my 16 years of fatherhood and in growing up for the most part without my own father being present, I think the most important thing for any parent and father to do is to be there. Yep, simple show up and be a Dad present and active in their everyday lives.  Sounds simple but how many us find it hard to be there for our children.

Being a Dad, means of course loving our children unconditionally, it means being there for them at all times, teaching them, listening to them, and learning from them. One of the key roles a Dad has is also saying NO to them, as a father/mother we are the heads of the family, we are the boss. We set the rules, guidelines, and examples for the family to follow.  I find it interesting how some families say we can't say no to Billy or Susy because we don't want to disappoint them or make them unhappy.

We were all kids once and if left to our own devices would have spent everyday eating candy for breakfast and watching TV all day.  One of the most important aspects of being Dad/Mom is to set limits and to say No.  Yes, it is tough being unpopular with your son or daughter when you don't think it's a good idea that they want to hang out at the mall on Saturday night or on Facebook for 3 hours straight, but that's parenting.

Came across a great quote by Howard Hunter, "the best thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother".

We know as parents that we say the same things over and over again hoping it sinks in and that they get the lesson.  I try to remember that they may not always hear or listen but they are ALWAYS watching.

Let's try and be there for our kids, to love them, to be a good example, and to love their mother.

With Love,

Tom Kaufmann
Coach K
tkaufmanncoaching.com

I Spent Half My Life Worrying About Things That Never Happened

Looking Forward

One of my favorite quotes is from Mark Twain, he said, "I spent half my life worrying about things that never happened."  How many of us spend our time regretting the past or worrying about the future when the present moment just slips by with a kind of subtle indifference.

Why do so many of us live in fear and worry when there is a better way. We have been given the gift of life to make our mark, to share our talents, to be of service, to leave a legacy, to simply enjoy our days.  Many of us, especially in the United States, have been given the gift of freedom, of choice to be what we want to be, to do want we want to do, how wonderful is that simple gift.

Billions of people would risk their very lives to come to the United States. Our immigrant forefathers did exactly that, and we see countless examples everyday of people looking to cross our borders to enjoy the very freedoms and opportunities we take for granted.

The simple shift away from worry and fear to one of gratitude and service will help take the focus off ourselves and onto others. Zig Ziglar said that to get what you want all you need to do is help enough other people get what they want.  How true. When we help others, we stop feeling sorry for ourselves and realize that our troubles or problems may not be so significant.  The simple shift off ourselves and onto others unlocks the universal principle of "giving and receiving",  for when we give we free up space for even more wonderful things to flow into our lives.

Next time we catch ourselves worrying and fretting about ourselves and our futures, take a moment and list all of the things we have to be grateful for and look for ways to help someone else for in that moment we realize that our challenges are not so great and we can then understand and experience the joy and abundance of life.

With Love,


Coach K