A few months ago, I felt like I needed a little push to help me make some positive and lasting personal changes to move beyond the dastardly comfort zone and grow myself further. As the saying goes, “Be careful what you wish for.”

So, I did something I rarely enjoy; I sought out, asked for help and hired a coach. The first question I was asked went something like, “Where do you fall on the happiness scale right now—rating one to 10 with 10 being uber joyful and happy and one being the direct opposite?”

My reply of “five” was swift as I had already recognized that I was about midway on the Emotional Guidance Scale, as popularized by Abraham-Hicks, and living consistently in the realm of boredom. Falling right in the middle of the scale, personally, I find that boredom is an okay place to find oneself since there doesn’t seem to be much emotional energy from either a negative or positive perspective. Just sort of, eh. It’s easy to go one way or the other with a thought or two in either direction.

What I hadn’t quite prepared myself for was the ripple effect of pushing into that growth zone. The operative word being push, I realized I had been pushing myself due to pain rather than allowing that force greater than me to pull me to the vision: The big picture of what it is that I desire to feel and experience.

Luckily, the coach came prepared with a toolbox chock-full of tips, tricks and tools that help me identify those thoughts, words and actions that have become habits and how to change them. As I find myself perhaps in traffic, getting frustrated with another driver, my brain has begun to rapidly pick up on the frustration signal and redirect me to one of the tools that help me realign in real-time. The effect of this shift ultimately improves my mood and, likely, the quality of the next interaction I have with another human being.

We’ve got some excellent resources for you this month on these same topics. Our feature article by Ronica O’Hara, “Think Yourself Happy, Seven Ways to Change Your Mind and Be Happier,” provides many simple and practical tips on how to increase our level of happiness without, what has come to be known as, toxic positivity.

In the Healing Ways department, “Unleash Your True Potential - Working with a Life Coach Can Help,” writer Sandra Yeyati offers insights on some of the best reasons to step into your potential and explore working with a coach.

Have a safe and happy day, today and every day!

Peace,