Achieving Personal Fulfillment Ezine (sm) ["Progressing Rapidly from Dreams to Action..."] [April 2006]

Published by Maurine D. Patten, Ed.D, CMC Founder & CEO, Patten Coaching & Consulting www.pattencoaching.com

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In This Issue: 1. Preview 2. Achieving Personal Fulfillment 3. Getting into Action 4. Looking Ahead

1. Preview Achieving Personal Fulfillment Ezine explores how to progress rapidly from dreams to action.  It is a free monthly email newsletter written by Maurine D. Patten, clinical psychologist and life coach. Topics are presented from the perspective of Maurine Patten and are provided to help you get the results you want.  It will help you manage change, improve your Emotional Intelligence and make better decisions with less effort. Life is challenging.  Sometimes the challenges energize us, and sometimes they increase our stress level to the point that we are overwhelmed.  A recent survey conducted by Northwestern National Life found that 40% of workers believed their job is very or extremely stressful.  Our personal lives can be stressful also.  How resilient do you want to be when your stress level increases? This issue gives 8 tips to increase your resilience. Back to Index

2. Achieving Personal Fulfillment "8 Tips to Increase Your Resilience" The National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety says that there are six job conditions that contribute to workplace stress. Prolonged exposure to the following conditions can cause severe stress which can carry over into your personal life: Design of tasks - long work hours, heavy workload and tedious tasks. Managment style - poor communication or lack of family-friendly policies. Interpersonal relationships - lack of support from co-workers or supervisors and a poor social environment. Work roles - too much responsibility and conflicting or uncertain job expectations. Career concerns - lack of opportunities for job growth, advancement or promotion and frequent changes. Environmental conditions - unpleasant or dangerous physical conditions, i.e. noise, air pollution. When you find yourself experiencing any of the above conditions, it is time to use self-regulation and bolster your resilience. Resilience is closely associated with self-regulation and impulse control.  Self-regulation is an important component of Emotional Intelligence and is also one of the 24 Character/Signature Strengths identified across cultures by Martin Seligman and Chris Peterson (2004).  When you exert control over your thoughts, behaviors, or emotions in order to pursue goals or stay calm under pressure, you are resilient.  Resilience is important for forming and keeping intimate relationships, succeeding at work, and maintianing physical health. Back to Index

3. Getting into Action How you choose to think about a situation affects your resilience because your thoughts alter your ability to regulate/control yourself.  The more negative you are, the lower your resilience will be.  Therefore, it is important to be realistically optimistic.  This means that you will do your best to stay in the present (not past or future) and that you will be as specific about the situation (not generalize it) as you can be.  In addition, it is possible to build your resilience by following these tips: Identify your top three to five values.  These are things that are important to you, i.e. honesty, humor, independence, and creativity.  There are many other values to choose from.    Whatever your top values are, choose to find ways to include them in your daily life.  Live your values. Choose to make a plan to achieve something that is important to you each day.  Even if it is only for 15 minutes, it is valuable in building self-esteem. Choose to seek out what is good in yourself, in others, in things and in situations as opposed to what is bad. Choose to focus on things you are grateful for and appreciate; you can change thought patterns from hopeless to hopeful. If bad things have happened to you, choose to believe you are not a victim. You have capacity for growth; see yourself as a problem solver. Choose to be consistent in what you say and do.  This is critical in building trust with others. Choose to seek out positive alternatives to reduce stress.  Having fun is recharging even if it is for a short time. Back to Index

4. Planning for Action Life is rarely the way it is supposed to be.  Instead, life is the way it is.  Choose to accept what cannot be changed.  The way you choose to cope with what cannot be changed makes the difference in how resilient you can be.  It is possible to live an engaging and meaningful life even if it is not possible to be extremely happy at the moment.  Look for ways to start your day well, and choose to be optimistic about its outcome. I help people reach their goals and achieve a more meaningful and fulfilling life.  Contact me for specific ways I can help you be more resilient.  I look forward to hearing from you. Maurine Patten mdpcoach@pattencoaching.com Back to Index

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Contact Information Patten Coaching & Consulting Voice: 630-584-8936  Fax: 630-584-8868 Web: http://www.pattencoaching.com E-Mail: mdpcoach@pattencoaching.com (c) Copyright 2002 Patten Coaching & Consulting All rights reserved.

Distribution Rights Achieving Personal Fulfillment Ezine (sm) is copyrighted, but you may retransmit or distribute it to whomever you wish as long as not a single word is changed, added, or deleted, including the contact information. However, you may not copy it to a web site. Republication of Achieving Personal Fulfillment Ezine (sm) in paper media is encouraged and permitted by individuals, organizations and associations, as long as the issue is reprinted in its entirety, without change, and includes the contact information. With advance permission, we are happy to edit an issue to fit your space requirements. Republication also is encouraged under other circumstances. However, the advance permission of Patten Coaching and Consulting must be obtained in the event that changes in the text are desired.

Mission Achieving Personal Fulfillment Ezine is dedicated to inspiring and expanding your perspective in order for you to move forward in your personal and professional life. Achieving Personal Fulfillment Ezine is a publication of Patten Coaching & Consulting; CEO, Maurine D. Patten, Ed.D, CMC; mdpcoach@pattencoaching.com We would like Achieving Personal Fulfillment Ezine to be as interactive as possible. If you have feedback, comments, topics you would like addressed, or can suggest additional resources to benefit us all, please email us at any time. Send your e-mail to ezinefeedback@pattencoaching.com. Please forward this issue to anyone you think would find Achieving Personal Fulfillment Ezine interesting and beneficial. Your recommendations help us keep growing, and ensure an excellent exchange of information and techniques. Archives You can read previous issues of Achieving Personal Fulfillment Ezine in our archives on our archives page.

About Maurine D. Patten, Ed.D, CMC Maurine Patten is a clinical psychologist  and certified life coach. Her professional career includes: independent buiness owner (25 years), Assistant Professor at Chicago State University and consultant for education and business. She is a graduate of the MentorCoach program and a member of the International Coach Federation. She is experienced in training and management development for large national and international firms. She has a strong background in working with individuals and couples on clarifying and achieving goals. Dr. Patten has training in coaching, Emotional Intelligence, retirement assessment and planning, cognitive and health psychology. She has published articles, made presentations, and conducted workshops about: Emotional Intelligence Creating a Fulfilling Retirement Anxiety and Achievement Stress Management Setting and Achieving Goals Self-Esteem Communication Skills Marital/relationship Enrichment

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