Goal Setting

05 Mar

Posted at 10:32h in Certificate in Applied Positive Psychology, change-agent, Glimpse into Me, Goal Setting, spirituality by

As I sit her preparing for the launch of the Certificate in Applied Positive Psychology (CAPP) program in Philadelphia this Saturday, I am filled with amazing gratitude. Gratitude for this awesome program and my beautiful friend and co-conspirator, Emiliya Zhivotovskaya who teaches me so much: she teaches me to hustle with heart, to learn with vigor and to live with integrity. It wasn’t that long ago that CAPP was just an idea and now, we are beginning with our first rollout outside the NYC market. It’s a good day! I am grateful for the 25 students who have registered to join this...

05 Jan

Posted at 07:56h in Glimpse into Me, Goal Setting, Inspiration by

(This was first published as a guest blog on Impact Hub Philadelphia.) I spent New Years Eve this year in Times Square, where I stood for 10 hours with a million other folks wanting to see the ball drop and experience the energy of New York at midnight. Despite below freezing temperatures and no access to bathrooms, cocktails, or other more civilized ways of celebrating, it was one of the best New Year’s Eves I’ve had for many reasons (and not just because Taylor Swift sang her top ranking hit Welcome to New York). Being in Times Square has been on...

26 Dec

Posted at 10:09h in Coaching, Flourishing, Goal Setting by

Here's a quick tip to ring in the new year with clarity & purpose: Spend some time reflecting on 2011 with an appreciative lens. What are you grateful for? Essentially, list all of the good things that have come your way and savor them. Really get specific here and list as many good things as you can. Here's a good article on savoring. And a good segment on why gratitude is important that I recently saw on CBS news. Look forward to the new year and ask: "What do I want more of in my life?" When you think what you don't want,...

02 Nov

Posted at 07:48h in Coaching, Engagement, Goal Setting, Life Coach, Life Coaching, Vision by

Don’t have it all figured out? Join the club. It’s okay. Change is dynamic, not linear. Small steps have big impacts: Change requires thinking about our thinking, which is engrained in our DNA. Thinking affects feeling and feeling affects action. Action is largely habitual, so changing behavior requires a plan. A plan requires a strategy. [“Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”] A strategy requires inspiring goals and enabling objectives. Goals and objectives require a mission. A mission is defined by a vision. A vision is guided by values. What do you value? Wonder what your moral purpose may be? What is your “why” here in the world? What if everyone knew...

23 Feb

Posted at 16:29h in Coaching, Goal Setting, Positive Psychology by

"Working with Louis has been such and uplifting and enlightening experience for me.  I have always been addicted to writing endless to do lists, breaking them into SMART goals, and spending lots of time trying to determine where I was in this whole maze of tasks to achieve.  Usually I was able to check off a few tasks but never really felt any closer to an overall goal. Louis works gently and with great empathy to elicit the values, strengths, and life skills that can bring about a rapid shift in consciousness around setting and achieving goals.  I have realized that...

06 Jan

Posted at 10:52h in forgiveness, Goal Setting, gratitude, Life Coach, Life Coaching, Mindfulness, Positive Psychology, Relationships, resiliency by

Well, here we are, it's 2010!   Here's my list of Top 10, of course with at positive psychology lens.  BIG clarification: Positive psychology is NOT just about positive thinking. It's about being authentic and attuned, grounded, and choosing to focus attention in certain (perhaps more positive) directions - when possible, which makes it realistic. (1) Take stock. Review 2009 with an appreciative lens. What went well? What were your wins, big & small? Make a list, post them on your refrigerator and savor. (2) Clarify your visions. Successful people know what they want. They are clear about what the future looks...

11 Dec

Posted at 12:18h in Goal Setting, Hope, Life Coach, Life Coaching, Mindfulness, Positive person, Positive Psychology, Uncategorized, Vision by

First on Barbara Walter’s special of the 10 Most Fascinating People of 2009 is Lady Gaga. What makes her so positive? “I had a dream and was fearless with my ambition,” Gaga (who’s right around my age) says. “Every bit of me is devoted to love and art.” It’s all about clarifying dreams and building intrinsic motivation around those dreams. Hope = pathways + agency. Positive psychologists study this. She says she felt like a “freak” when she was younger, especially in high school (don’t I know it too…). “I want to free them [struggling young people} from their fears and...

14 Jan

Posted at 13:50h in All, Goal Setting, Hope, Social-Emotional Leadership by

With so much talk of mavericks last year, I have been reflecting on who really fits that bill. Is it Barack Obama for becoming the first African American president? Harvey Milk for following a civil rights dream? Was it Mother Teresa who touched the lives of people no one else wanted to help? Pope Benedict, whose visit to the US this year re-inspired many Catholics to their faith? Who are mavericks closer to home? Was it my Nana Teeney, my paternal grandmother, who graduated from New York University in 1939 as part of the first class of coed graduates? Is it...

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