Introspection – Looking Inside Ourselves – Rhoads Life Coaching

Introspection is the act of slowing down & looking inside ourselves to observe our internal world. Until we look inside we can’t see the whole picture.

We have each developed a software code that runs who we are as a person. It addresses all of the internal and external things we experience. It determines how we react to everything and how well we are able to react to the world around us. Frequently this code needs to be inspected. Is there a glitch? Have you applied a filter to your system that is not benefiting you? Do you have a bug in your code that needs to be fixed? The only way to find out is to be introspective and look inside to inspect how your insides work.

So how to begin? What does introspection look like for you? In our fast-paced world it is difficult to focus time, energy and attention inside. Stopping long enough to observe thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations is a good start. Asking ‘why do I feel this way?’ or ‘what does this sensation need?’ can become a habit of observing without judgement. The value of introspection is in acknowledging the different parts of ourselves and observing whether those parts are reacting to the world in a healthy way. – www.rhoadscoaching.com

Introspection - Rhoads Life Coaching

 

Finding meaning and purpose in daily life

How Much Do We Exaggerate? – Rhoads Life Coaching

How much do you we exaggerate what we relate about our lives? Do you add a few degrees of drama in relating an exciting story? Do you downplay how much you worry, or are hurt? This tendency to increase or decrease the reality of our situation comes at a price. We push the way we relate ourselves to others toward the extremes.

Consider the possibility that nearly every form of entertainment, advertising, and social media is exaggerated to some degree. How much does that influence how we relate to each other? It becomes difficult to have empathy for ourselves or others when we only see their highlight reel on our phones; or to find common ground when every encounter is either the best or worst thing that has ever happened to us.

How can you reduce this exaggeration? The language we use to communicate is important. Removing the expectation for every event to be life changing (awesome, epic, huge), allows for perfectionism to be taken out of our experiences. Practice noticing where you exaggerate. Try to reduce that exaggeration by even a small percent. If you could reduce the amount of exaggeration in your thoughts and language, you can have more room for life to be meaningful and fulfilling. – www.rhoadscoaching.com

 

 

Exaggerate - Rhoads Life Coaching

 

finding meaning and purpose in daily life

We Are All Connected – Rhoads Life Coaching

It is difficult to overstate the idea that we are all connected. In the “Power of Vulnerability”, Brene Brown says that as human beings we are hard-wired for connection. She takes it a step further and states it is part of our purpose to be connected to others and the world. If connection is our purpose, the intent of how we achieve connection changes dramatically. We are not being fully human if we aren’t looking for meaningful and purposeful connection with others.

By not connecting to those around us we are not fulfilling our purpose.

Are you isolating yourself? Do you know someone who is? What do you need to do about it? – www.rhoadscoaching.com

 

 

All Connected - Rhoads Life Coaching

 

finding meaning and purpose in daily life

 

For EJJ

Keeping Accounts – Rhoads Life Coaching

It takes time, energy, and effort to keep track of what we believe we are owed. This applies to relationships as well as money and time. What we don’t realize is the toll it takes in keeping accounts. What are the emotional and relational accounts you can let go?

In recording this video I realized it could be misunderstood that I am advocating removing relationships from our lives. Please do no misunderstand. Keeping accounts in terms of relationships is about you as the individual. There is a price you pay my keeping track of what you believe you are owed. There is a negative charge that you hold onto and that holding is a reflection of who you are as a person, not the state of the relationship. You have the right to not be negative and letting go of keeping accounts is one method of accepting that right.

It is also interesting to consider the accounts we keep in relation to ourselves. For some of us, we are our own worst critic. What is the amount of energy and time you spend on keeping track of all of the errors you have made? What can be erased from that ledger to allow for room to heal and grow? – www.rhoadscoaching.com

 

 

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finding meaning and purpose in daily life

 

Purposeful Change Series

Purposeful Change SeriesRhoads Life Coaching - purposeful change

Taking your yoga practice off the mat

Hosted by Grace Tree Yoga & Growth StudioGracetree

Thursday evenings, January 4 – February 22, 2018• 7:00 – 8:00 pm
8933 Cincinnati-Dayton Road • West Chester, OH 45069

Investment: $140.00 [Early bird discount of $15: if pre-registered by December 15th. Early bird price: $125.00]

E-mail: info@gracetreestudio.com       www.gracetreestudio.com

I am excited to announce that in collaboration with Gracetree Yoga & Growth Studio, I will be hosting the upcoming series! Follow the Gracetree link to their workshop page to join us!

Purposeful Change is an 8-week, 1-hour/session series that looks at practical applications for taking the mindfulness and self-exploration of yoga out into daily life. Participants in this course will be introduced to methods of approaching daily tasks, relationships, careers, etc. in an intentional way, allowing for alignment between their internal and external worlds.

Rhoads Life Coaching - Purposeful ChangeThe mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual benefits of yoga are well documented. This course will explore connecting those benefits with purposeful choices through guided meditation, writing exercises, and group discussion.

This course helps develop an internal awareness of the complex range of thoughts, emotions, and beliefs that we feel about change. By developing a greater understanding of how each person experiences and deals with change, we can make more intentional choices in facing change in our daily lives.

This series is related to personal development and not Karma work.

Send questions to jrhoads.coach@gmail.com.

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finding purpose and meaning in daily life

 

Criticism vs. Complaint – Rhoads Life Coaching

What if how we talk to each other has a direct impact on our ability to resolve conflicts? Learning to resolve conflicts is a skill. It takes understanding and practice! Learning the difference between a criticism vs. a complaint could help in addressing and resolving conflicts.

Criticism is focused at a person and who they are as human being. Criticism is about an event and looks to resolve a problem. Criticizing speaks to who a person is and promotes blame and shame. Identifying a complaint offers the opportunity to collaborate on a solution. Criticism is asking “Why did you do that?” or “What is wrong with you?”. Complaint is saying, “This happened and I have a problem with it, what can we do to resolve it?”.

Why would we expect anyone to help us if we are attacking who they are a person?

A simple solution to making conflict more manageable is to reduce criticism as much as possible! The challenge becomes slowing down long enough to enter a conflict with intention by identifying the complaint and avoiding as much criticism as possible. – www.rhoadscoaching.com

 

 

Criticism vs complaint - Rhoads Life Coaching

 

finding meaning and purpose in daily life

 

Try A Workshop! – Rhoads Life Coaching

try a workshop - Rhoads Life Coaching

Looking for a team building activity?

Or a small group event?

Have you ever considered a self-development workshop? 

Rhoads Life Coaching offers a series of workshops intended to build internal awareness and relationship skills. These workshops are great for small business team building, staff development, and enhancing communication skills. The workshops are also great for small groups looking for a fun approach to building relationship and communication skills.

Topics include:Try a Workshop! - Rhoads Life Coaching

  • Intentional Goal Setting
  • Personality Styles
  • Conflict Resolution I
  • Conflict Resolution II
  • Creating Personal Vision
  • Creating Personal Purpose Statement
  • Priority Action Plan (PAP) Development

The best part of these workshops is their flexibility and adaptability to a specific group. If you are looking for a staff retreat or private small group event, these workshops can be molded to each setting, whether that is a business setting or an afternoon at home with friends. Check out more details here, and send a email to jrhoads.coach@gmail.com to book your next workshop!

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Finding meaning and purpose in daily life

Self-Observation – Rhoads Life Coaching

Too often we look to the world around us expecting change. In reality, purposeful and meaningful change starts as an internal process. The first step toward making changes is to create a practice of self-observation. This practice is difficult, as we either let ourselves off the hook, expecting others to change before us, OR we guilt and shame ourselves into changing (think of all the times you force yourself to exercise or to not eat something you want). Our critical and judgmental pieces tell us we ‘should’ change and this creates a split internally. It is more difficult to change when you are forcing yourself to do something. The antidote to this split is to take the critical and judgmental voices out of the conversation. This is achieved by taking a detached, almost scientific, self-observation of oneself.  The simplest way to start is to look back at a recent event and observe how you acted (both internally and externally). What were you thinking? How did you feel? What was the story you were telling yourself as the event happened? Where did that story come from? How could you have acted differently? What would that take? To be able to step back outside of ourselves and observe in a non-judgmental way creates new opportunities for growth and development. – www.rhoadscoaching.com

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Finding meaning and purpose in daily life

Taking Intentional Aim at Our Goals – Rhoads Life Coaching

Have you ever considered that taking intentional aim is different than setting a goal? Setting a goal is critical. We do not have a sense of direction or vision with out a goal. Taking aim, however, is the moment before activation. Aiming requires intent, will, and concentration. Frequently we set goals for ourselves and never reach that activation point. Sometimes getting started is the hardest part. Taking aim changes all of that. It is the moment we switch from contemplating and planning to action. Focusing on how we aim can influence how we approach a task or goal. If our aim does not match our values, priorities, and vision we can sabotage achieving the goal we set. It is possible to focus on aim and adjust the intent – resulting in a different outcome! – www.rhoadscoaching.com

 

 

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finding meaning and purpose in daily life

Numbing – Rhoads Life Coaching

What if the habits and patterns you use are numbing you from experiencing meaning and finding your purpose? These ways of anesthetizing ourselves serve a purpose up to a point. We need to rest and to recharge and be entertained and connected, but the mechanisms we use to do so can numb us from feeling the need to change. Once that numbing becomes a habit it prevents us from making intentional and healthy changes. We have a multitude of ways to numb ourselves to keep from feeling vulnerable. This lack of vulnerability prevents the good things from entering our lives just as much as the bad things. The remedy starts with self-observation. How do you numb yourself? What are you missing by doing so? How can you be intentional about beginning to numb yourself less? – www.rhoadslifecoaching.com

 

 

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finding meaning and purpose in daily life