Maximum Change, Inc. - Life and Leadership Coaching

Can't Do It All!

2010-06-11T07:22:00.002-05:00

By nature I am a Type “A” personality. When I am working on a project, I will scrutinize every detail just knowing that I am going to miss something! If I am not careful I will spend hours hovering over one sentence. It took me three tries just to write that last sentence of this article! But, I also need to maintain a life full of other “stuff to do.” We heap our proverbial plates full of activities, events and projects with an absolute conviction that we can do it all! There are a few things in life that will bring a humble realization that you sometimes just can’t do it all… As a matter of fact, thinking you can will only lead to burn out and inefficient results. We all have demands on us. Some we place there and some that life places on us. Sometimes the challenge is determining which of them are self-imposed and which are life-imposed. Many times in my life I’ve had to clear the plate. I have done a self audit and cleared the clutter of busyness in my life. Clearing your plate will require honesty and a commitment to being just a little less busy. It all starts with a statement like, “I don’t need to do everything” or “I am not able to do everything.” The best thing to learn is the word no. NO does not mean ever and NO does not mean that you are uninterested or unsympathetic to the needs of others. It simply means you don’t have the ability to do it right now. Change also means that you are going to need to keep an up-to-date calendar. For me, I use the calendar in MS Outlook and I sync the calendar with my smart phone. This way I have my up-to-the-minute calendar with me and I don’t end up overbooking. I am able to place events, phone calls, meetings and other important information in a place that reminds me of what I am doing and where I am going. In maintaining a calendar, one should also take into account travel and preparation times. Clearing your plate is going to take time and effort but anyone can do it. If you feel you might need help in bringing your life back into balance, a life coach can help. Visit http://www.maximumchange.com or call us (615) 216-5667 for more information.

Doing the Right Thing...

2010-02-26T18:59:00.005-06:00

It's happened to you I know! Like many people you have experienced horrible customer service. It appears that long gone are the days of believing the customer is always right. Here we are in the early 21st century in the year 2010 and in the midst of what is now being coined as the "Great Recession". Businesses can no longer take their customers for granted or even take Advantage of their customers. There is an excellent book out Called "Raving Fan" and I think this book illustrates well the art of creating a Raving Fan. But this is my blog and not the authors of that great book, so allow me to offer a few examples from my life of Customer Service nightmares.

I had hired a well respected and well known sign company in my state to create a lobby sign for the company I worked for. The sign company advertises on certain aspects of customer service and quality which were appealing to my search for a company - that and they were the ONLY company willing to take on a custom lobby sign project. It took the company nearly 2 months to finally come out and measure the area for the sign and then it took another 3 months for them to build a small custom sign. The sales manager kept giving excuse after excuse and we could never get a clear story out of him. FINALLY, they delivered the sign -- it was not what we had asked for and was over the amount we agreed to pay. Needless to say, I wrote a rather terse letter to the owner of the sign company with the details of what had happened and included a copy of the book Raving Fan. Less than a week later I received a personal phone call from the Owner of this rather prestigious sign company. He personally thanked me for my honesty and the book. He told me what he was going to do to correct the experience I had with him, including revisions to the bill and even told me that he was going to buy a case of the books Raving Fan and make ALL of his managers read it both current and future. You see, this guy understood the value of doing the right thing and certainly the value of a happy customer.

Now for a not-so-happy ending... I had been with a certain phone company from about 1990 through about 2007. So, at least 17 years I had some kind of service with this company. I was very happy, for the most part, with the service I had been receiving and had no desire to leave them. In 2007 I had accumulated 2 cell phones from this company and only needed one. Remember, I had been with them 17 years. When I called the company.. their party line was that I would be charged $175 to shut off the second phone because it was still under contract. Never mind that I had been with them almost 20 years and I was willing to sign up for another 2 years of service with the phone I was going to keep on. You see, it was more important for this company to collect $175 than to keep me for another 20 years! Something is wrong with this picture. So, they lost me as a customer for life and every chance I get I tell my friends how horrible this company is and that they are better off going with the competitor.

You see - it is about doing the right thing. Companies cannot hide behind the statement of "its not our policy" or "I can't help you at all." If you're a business owner at any level - please hear me. A healthy company has Happy Customers. Now I realize you can't give the house away. But my experience is this... the examples I've given ended up costing the company more if nothing was done. If you're going to have a customer service department - those individuals who answer the phones should be trained and given authority to REALLY help a customer. Again, the world of business has changed forever because of the Recession we are in. We can never do business the same way again. People are more careful with the money they spend - they expect a bang for their buck and if your company wont give it to them, they will find someone who will meet their needs.

Many people say without product there are no customers. I say, if there are no happy customers, there is no need for a product or service. It's time we change how we look at our customers. We can no longer afford to assume that anyone HAS to do business with us. We need to move from being the companies of "NO" and "CAN'T", to a business oh "How can we serve you?" We must learn to DO THE RIGHT things when it comes to our customers or we too will be in the unemployment lines.

Permission

2010-02-13T09:37:00.004-06:00

The longer I coach the more I find that people are often looking for permission to start working on their dreams and goals. Of course, that is assuming that they even remember what their dreams were! My entire life my passion, my dreams, and my calling have all been right in front of my face and I consciously was aware of them much of the time but I am human and I get caught up in the turbulence and excitement of life and many times lose sight of what it is I wanted to do, felt lead to do, or even NEED to do! In my last post I asked you what your "WHY" in life was. Why do you do what you do, why do you want to do it and what will you get from doing it? I hear it all the time "I don't know what to do next?" Here is a secret... if you're too close to the tree, back up a bit and look again! A 10,000 foot view is much better than a 1 inch view much of the time. I want to encourage you with this... you can do what ever you set your mind to. You likely have more than enough ability, smarts and will power to start working on your dreams and goals even right now. So what is stopping you? Oh yeah! I want to give you permission to start dreaming again. People laugh when I say that. Dreams are for children. NO! Dreaming starts with a child and think about it... a child's mind knows few limits. What is stopping you from reaching your full potential? Probably the gray matter between your ears. The Bible talks about Child-like faith and that is what I am talking about too. I'm not talking about being irresponsible or stupid. I am simply inviting you to look past your own doubt and see if you can look at life through the eyes of a child - where every day is new - the possibilities are endless and you have the belief you can be ANYTHING you want to be when you grow up!

Your Why?

2010-02-11T11:16:00.003-06:00

Ok... so you want something. You have a goal to achieve or gain something out of life. The question is, "WHY?" What is the answer that will get you up off the couch and out of rut you find yourself in? What is it that will empower you to overcome the things that have roadblocked your life till now? Have you ever wondered WHY someone would climb the highest mountain, dive the deepest seas? Have you ever wondered WHY someone was able to go from obese to a healthy weight? What is it that has to change for us to overcome? What is it that we need to do to achieve? What is your big WHY? What would the answer be? It could be as simple as the need to be alive and to provide for the family. If could be as simple as the need to help others in this world. It would be that you are actually CALLED to be something more than you are presently living out. In speaking with someone recently who was dealing with being morbidly obese, they said that they were unable to be effective in life because of their weight. The answer... the Body is a temple of the Lord and they are not honoring the lord by the bondage of obesity. When we look at the things that hold us in bondage we have to understand that we have been given authority to break strongholds and overcome the bondage this world tries to lock us in. What does it really take to live our your why? A choice... a simple decision that the things that hold you back no longer own you. No longer take authority over you. Is this an easy task? No... it is hard and is a journey. But, if your why is strong enough... the reasons... you will climb your highest mountain, you will dive your deepest sea and you will overcome those things that seem to be in charge of your life. You can do it... You CAN be more than you currently are... Just ask what your why in life is... and GO FOR IT!

Resolution Time Again

2009-12-18T11:57:00.003-06:00

A New Year often brings about the need for personal reflection and resolve to make much needed changes in one’s life. These resolutions cover everything from time, health and money.

While many utter their resolution, most do not put action behind their words. Saying something is often a lot easier than the taking the steps required to manifest change you so much desire. Change requires us to push through some kind of resistance to birth a new reality of who we are or what we desire to be. Change requires a choice to be earnest in a desire to change and the persistence to see it to the goal. Many times it becomes easier to tolerate where we are and we quickly forget the reasons we wanted the change in the first place. Resigned to the idea that the change we desire may be too hard for us to achieve. We must remember, if we say “I can’t” you have already decided you won’t!

Effective change comes when we resolve to make a “Lifestyle” change rather than a short term resolute goal. For example, we often say we will go on a diet and lose weight the first of the year. While this goal is admirable, it indicates a short term change in habits for a momentary goal. A more effective thought process would be to desire a lifestyle change rather than a temporary goal. One should understand that to replace an old habit with a new one will take time and the courage to commit to that change. Effective change can take up to 90-days. As a result of a need for a long term commitment, goals should be Specific, Measureable, Actionable, Realistic and Timed for the best chance of success.

Specific means just that, a specific declaration to a specific object. Measureable means that you have a way of knowing when the goal has been achieved. Actionable is defined as the actual ability to act on the goal. It is realistic in that you have some ability to reach the goal and timed means you have a time frame in which you plan on reaching that goal.

So a SMART goal could be: I am joining the XYZ gym and hiring a trainer and nutritionist by January 5, 2010. As a result of my work with a nutritionist I will change my diet and workout in accordance with the program my trainer designs for me. My scheduled workout time will be after 5pm Monday through Friday and I have a specific goal to lose 25lbs and tone up my muscles by June 30, 2010. Once I have met my initial goal I will work with my trainer for additional goals as appropriate for my condition.

Many times what we need most is someone who can help us best define our goals and then hold us accountable to achieve those goals. We must choose to put action behind those words of resolve we utter New Years Eve. Whatever your resolution or goal – there is a high probability that you will not achieve them unless you take them serious and Act on them. Set your mind to and get moving!

Don’t let another 360 days pass before you get serious about changing your life for the better.
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For more information on Life Coaching or for FREE resources– visit www.maximumchange.com to start your journey to a fulfilling life.

Philip Foster holds a Masters of Art in Organizational Leadership with an emphasis on Coaching and Mentoring. He works with individuals to help them find and reach their full potential in life. E-mail him today to start your journey to change today - philip@maximumchange.com or visit www.maximumchange.com for more information.

Economic Upswing

2009-01-19T08:49:00.002-06:00

These past few years have been challenging from a Financial standpoint. There is no doubt that businesses have struggled and some have even closed their doors. The economist recently made it official that we are in a recession. That seems to be the bad news... the good news, the economist believe it started in the 4 quarter of 2007. Most economist also believe, based on historical data, that a recession will last on average 18 months. IF this is true, that would mean that our present recession will end somewhere around the summer of 2009! Presuming that the economists are right, I began to wonder what businesses were doing to get ready for the upswing in business. I began to wonder if they would be ready or would they be playing catch up with the businesses poised to take advantage of the swell in the business market wave! Its like surfing, you can ride the big wave if you're not in the water and ready for it.

So what can a business do to prepare? Well the very first thing that should be done is to secure expert advise. Someone who can stand beside you and help you prepare for the business ahead. As a Life Coach I work with businesses all the time to help them streamline, focus, and strategize their next move. If you feel like your company can benefit from a life coach, please contact me today. I want to see you ready for the business upswing that is coming. Its no longer a matter of IF....

Maximum Change Christian Life Coaching
maximumchange.com

Control the email monster

2006-09-23T08:49:00.000-05:00

Control the E-mail Monster

By Philip A. Foster, MA

If there is one thing I understand, it is this... we are all very busy. Recently a client of mine told me that they receive over 300 e-mail messages a day in their mail box. So many e-mail messages come in that they spend nearly a quarter of the day (and I mean after 5PM as well) watching their e-mail box to keep it clean. Unfortunately, most of the mail this person receives in from internal discussions because the executive staff is spread out over the country and a lot of ad-hoc meetings take place via e-mail.

Here are some suggestions I had for the client that I hope will work for you...

1) If you are able to - put a stop to Ad-hoc meetings via e-mail. An appropriate response could be - "This sounds great Susan, lets schedule a meeting next week to go over it with the team..."

2) Turn on your SPAM filter or ask the company to turn on a SPAM filter. I once worked for a company that received on average over 5,000 spam e-mails a day. The staff of 30 people never knew about this spam because it never made it to them. And the occasional SPAM that did make it to them went into their SPAM folder on their local computer. That is almost 200 SPAM e-mails a day for each and every employee. IF you use the SPAM tools you already have you can reduce that number significantly.

3) Set up an additional email Box on your computer or on a FREE service like Yahoo, Google, etc where all of your OPT-IN e-mail is sent. That way you can keep only important company e-mail flowing to your current box.

4) If someone sends you e-mail, you can respond to them with one of the following

a) Please keep sending this sort of critical information

b) Send this to a responsible person on my team (and that person is.....)

c) Please do not send me this kind of information anymore.

5) Develop a company policy that states that e-mail is for company use and not for "FORWARDS", "JOKES," etc...

After a couple of weeks your e-mail load should be under better control.

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Philip Foster holds a Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership with an emphasis on Coaching and Mentoring. He works with individuals to help them find and reach their full potential in life. Sessions start as little as $75/hour. For more information, visit http://www.maximumchange.com

Control your schedule.

2006-09-16T08:14:00.000-05:00

I work with businesses and leaders all over the country. At first I was amazed at how many individuals fly by the seat of their pants every day. I found that many individuals have fallen into what I call the "TO DO LIST" trap. They allow their "TO DO LIST" to dictate their schedule rather than scheduling things on their "TO DO LIST" to complete. The one thing I tell all my clients is this... your calendar is NOT your To-Do-List and your To-Do-List is not your calendar. You must schedule time to get things done but that does not mean that everything on your To-Do-List must be scheduled to be done in one day... It might be impossible!

I believe that you need to plan your week ahead of time. You only need about 30 minutes to plan out your entire week. I've come across an acronym that has been helpful. It is called the O.A.T.S. Formula. (Adapted from the Manager's intelligence report)

O: Objectives. What results do you want to see by the end of the week? Write them down and rank them. (This is a form of TO-DO-LIST ranks by importance).

A: Activities. What do you have to do to achieve your goals (objectives)? List the necessary activities, and put them in sequence underneath each Objective.

T: Time. How much time will each activity require? To plan realistically, allow yourself more time than you think you might actually need. This gives you flexibility if unexpected problems arise.

S: Schedule. Look at your calendar and decide when you can do each activity. Many I've worked with will underestimate the power of a schedule, but the reality is that you won’t get a think done if you don’t schedule appropriate time to do it.

Your Schedule should be broken into three parts: Personal, Have-To-Do, and Want-to-do.

Personal is everything you accomplish for you and your family. It is your own personal time that you must take. It can include getting the oil changed in your car, having lunch with your kids at school, taking your kids to sports practice, getting your hair cut, vacation, etc.

Have-to-do are all the things you must accomplish in the week (See OATS) above.

Then the Want-to-do might be read a book, call a friend on the phone, etc...

The goal is to get your schedule under control... rather than your schedule controlling you. If you need help in this area, please contact me for a consultation!

Philip A. Foster, MA
Life/Business Coach
Maximum Change Coaching
http://www.maximumchange.com

615.216.5667 phone
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Philip A. Foster holds a Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership, Coaching and Mentoring and has over 14 years of experience in coaching, counseling and educating others. His absolute passion is to help others discover greatness in life, to become motivated and inspired to achieve success in all they do.

Uprooting the Weeds in Your Life…

2006-08-31T21:16:00.000-05:00

Uprooting the Weeds in Your Life…
By Philip A. Foster, MA

If you are like me, you probably hate weeds! My neighbors probably think I am a little Obsessive Compulsive when it comes to eradicating my lawn and flowerbeds of those pesky little weeds. I’ve even been known to pull weeds in my neighbor’s yard, rationalizing that if I don’t they could produce seeds which will spawn more weeds back into my yard.

The term “weed” can mean different things to different people. As with anything, one man's weed is another man's garden. In a broad sense a weed is really any plant growing where it is not wanted. In order to get rid of the weeds, we must attack them at their roots. This can be accomplished by way of herbicides, friendly insects, and good old fashioned hand pulling. If we leave even the slightest piece of root, the weed will likely return, sometimes stronger than before.

Because weeds are found where we don’t usually want them, controlling them is a serious matter. Many of us spend untold amounts of time and money to eradicate unwanted greenery. Weeds are invasive and, in many ways, noxious to our garden. Typically weeds destroy the habitat they dwell. They reduce the opportunities for the grass to grow and cause displacement of plants. Weeds usually reduce options and diversity in the garden by over taking the entire area with one species of plant (them). Thus, weeds can disrupt the natural flow of an area and can ultimately be costly. In essence, a weed can suck the life out of your garden if kept unchecked.

As with our garden, we have weeds in our personal lives – bad habits, inappropriate or misguided opinions of ourselves or others, procrastination, or even lack of organization. Such weeds can manifest themselves through lack of motivation or passion and can be found in our belief system in how we see ourselves. They can suck the joy out of our lives and cause us to live in an environment that is otherwise foreign and uncomfortable. Like weeds in the garden, our “life weeds” consume valuable resources, energy, and emotions that are otherwise essential to living a joyful and productive life. In order to get rid of the weeds, we must uproot them and replace them with positive thinking, accountability, resources and opportunities that will ultimately help us blossom into a productive and joyful life.

Weeding out our lives can be as time consuming and costly as weeding our gardens however it is far less expensive to weed our lives than to allow our lives to become overgrown with “life weeds” that may choke our futures and the unbelievable opportunities ahead. Some have found that weeding in life can come in the form of Nuero Linguistic Programming (positive affirmations), life coaching, or simply educating ourselves with books and seminars.

One must keep in mind that uprooting a “life weed” may take time. After all, we are replacing bad habits with better habits. A garden takes time for healthy vibrant plants to take hold and grow. So does your own “life garden” – you are replacing your “life weeds” with sustainable, healthy habits that will require nourishment to grow. Change is never easy and sometimes our gardens must go through a state of awkwardness before we can see the true beauty and rewards.

Isn’t it time that you surveyed your garden, uprooting the “life weeds” and replacing them with healthy habits? Here is an easy process to consider:

1) Replace bad habits with good habits by having a mental picture of what the new habit will look like. Also, understand why you are replacing the old habit.

2) Practice the actions required over and over again so that the new habit becomes natural.

3) Next you will enter into the transition phase where you have an old behavior that has become comfortable, like an old pair of comfortable shoes (they may look ugly to the eye but oh-so comfortable!). Resist slipping back into the old habit – remember, you are working on getting out the entire root of the “life weed”, which takes time and energy. Your new habit may feel uncomfortable at first because you are not used to it yet. Practice, practice, practice and don’t give up just because it's uncomfortable – the end result is worth it!

4) Finally, the new behavior will become automatic - a new habit is born! Congratulations!

Weeding your “life garden” requires persistence, patience, and most of all, a commitment to change. Although you may find success on your own, it is recommended that you find an accountability partner. A life coach can be a great source of motivation and accountability through the process of change. Once healthy positive changes occur, you can maintain your beautiful new “life garden”…less those pesky weeds.

For help in uprooting the “life weeds” in your garden, contact Maximum Change Life Coaching today. For more information visit us online at http://www.maximumchange.com

Philip A. Foster holds a Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership, Coaching and Mentoring and has over 14 years of experience in coaching, counseling and educating others. His absolute passion is to help others discover greatness in life, to become motivated and inspired to achieve success in all they do.

Work/Life Balance

2006-08-31T16:45:00.000-05:00

In a survey of over 1300 senior executives conducted by the Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC) 46 percent said their “work/life balance has changed for the worse in the past five years.” Of the respondents, only 7.5 percent reported that their employer has a program in place to improve work/life balance.

Such options can include working at home, flexible work hours and monetary incentives to participate in an exercise program. Some respondents reported that they felt their company’s program was more “talk than action.”

Do you need help bringing your life back into balance? Do you have employees that need help in this area? Have you thought about using a life coach?

If your life is out of control and you need balance, contact Maximum Change Coaching and consulting today. For more information visit our website at http://www.maximumchange.com, we are here to help!

Positive Affirmations - Killing Negative Thinking

2006-05-27T07:27:00.000-05:00

For years we have heard that “you are what you eat.” And with the epidemic of obesity in the US alone this certainly rings true. But obesity is more than just stuffing your face with food – it has to do with exercise or the lack there of…

If it holds true that we are what we eat and that lack of exercise contributes to unhealthiness along with overindulgence of food – wouldn’t it hold true that we are what we “Think” and that lack of exercise also contributes to mental atrophy?

We know that our physical health can be brought into check with a balanced diet and a structured exercise regime but how do we find balance in the area of our thinking?

The only tried and true method of healthy balanced thinking comes in the form of Positive Self Talk and Affirmations.

Affirmations are positive statements of truth. Through the use of affirmations we can claim and then conceivably bring about all that we desire. To affirm means to make something firm or make visible, to establish or bring about. Affirmations proclaim a truth even in the face of adverse circumstances. Through the use of Affirmations we build our faith in the idea that we can achieve or obtain something that may otherwise seem out of reach to others. Affirmations are like seeds – if you water them daily they grow until they are visible and bring forth a harvest that was intended.

The practice of affirmations implies that we must focus on what may otherwise be obvious by cutting through the clutter of our lives. You will find that many motivational Gurus’ use positive self talk as part of the method to help their clients achieve their goals.

Affirmations can be as simple as “Every day in every way I am getting better and better.” Affirmations can also take the form of a positive forward moving action such as “I am a winner.” Or “I have what it takes to ______.”

Likewise if you tell yourself such things as “I will never be successful,” or “I am not any good at _______,” etc… you are basically participating in what is commonly known as “STINKING THINKING!” Stinking thinking is like a cancer on your dreams, goals and desires. It is the black death of our soul. The best way to stop this cancerous thinking is to immediately begin a daily regime of positive self talk. Make a list of positive things that read them at least 25 to 50 times in the morning and then right before you go to bed. It is a known fact that your mind needs to be programmed and that repetition helps speed up the process a lot faster.

Within 30 to 45 days, if you are religious about your affirmations, you will start to notice changes in your health and your mental well being. But don’t stop after 30 days. Mix things up – get some 3x5 cards and put your daily affirmations on there – add new ones and take way others.

If you find yourself saying something negative, stop correct yourself and then go get your affirmations and work on a couple of them that relate to the negative comment you made. Each day you spend focusing more energy on the positive is one less day you are miserable and out of touch with your potential.

Maximum Change Coaching

http://www.maximumchange.com

Open Office

2006-05-26T07:11:00.000-05:00

I promise that I am not receiving any endorsement money for talking this up.

As a business consultant I am always looking for ways for my clients to be more wise with their money and more efficient in their work. Recently I was surfing through download.com, which is a great resource for anyone, and discovered the world of "OpenOffice." Open Office is a FREE - yes you read that right FREE - Office Suite comparable to MicroSoft Office.

Per their website at http://www.openoffice.org/ " OpenOffice.org is both a fully-featured office suite compatible with leading office products, and a virtual community working through OpenOffice.org's numerous projects. The community comes together at www.openoffice.org to develop, support, and promote the use of OpenOffice.org.

Basically it is a bunch of software developers around the world that have created this product. You can donate to the cause but there is never an obligation to buy the software.

I've personally downloaded the product and used it. It opens MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint Files without problem and even saves them as such. The screens look similar to the MS products so there is not a steep learning curve - however with anything new you still need to learn some of their semantics.

The product gets a 5 star rating by CNET and 4.5 stars by nearly 200 private individuals. Download.com has seen nearly 400,000 downloads of this product since March 8, 2006.

The download process was easy - nothing to really set up. The software came through extremely stable and was easy to use. I would recommend any business whether or a tight budget or not to check out this up and coming software package.

The suite comes with a word processor, powerpointesq program, a math program, drawing program, database, and spreadsheet product. I am sure more is sure to come.

The great thing about these open source products is that there is never a fee for future updates or additions to the product.

Another product in the similar vein in FireFox web browser http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/

I hope this information proves useful.

Sincerely,
Philip A. Foster, MA
Maximum Change
http://www.maximumchange.com
http://maximumchange.mbgroups.com

615-216-5667

401k for Small Businesses

2006-04-25T19:19:00.000-05:00

As a small business owner I know how hard it is to find quality benefits for your employees.

I wanted to bring to your attention a program that I have just come across and hope you might find an interest in it.

Just click the link below and follow the prompts to get a FREE quote on 401k programs. I went through the process and they ask specific questions based on your needs and then design a 401 product that is right for you and your company.

Click here to get a quote from ShareBuilder 401(k)

Sincerely,
Philip A. Foster, MA
Life Coach
Maximum Change Coaching
http://www.maximumchange.com
http://maximumchange.mbgroups.com

It’s all about choices….

2006-02-05T17:54:00.000-06:00

It’s all about choices….

I’ve been giving a lot of thought to the statement that “it is all about choices.” What does that really mean? It recently occurred to me that one of the hardest things about life is the free will we have to do what ever we want. Every day we make hundreds, if not thousands, of choices. We choose to get up or hit the snooze button just one more time. We choose coffee over tea, muffins over biscuits. We choose to work for the wage we make and drive the car we drive. You get the picture…

We are bombarded with choices nearly every waking second of our lives. From advertisements on the roads, internet, radio, television and now our telephones… every where we are asked to make choices. A recent search on Google.com for the word choice revealed 491,000,000 occurrences.

Did you realize that we have the power to be happy or sad, mad or indifferent? We make choices everyday that affect what we believe about ourselves and our ability to succeed in life. If you ask 100 people how much they are worth – you would find that most of them “believe” that they are worth exactly what they get paid each year. What is more stunning is that they believe that they will never make more than what they are worth.

We get out of life exactly what we expect from it. Your life will be exactly as you see it. Everything that happens to you in your life is a direct result of your thoughts. That means you have the choice to live the life you want. If you believe you are destine to live in a mediocre house and drive mediocre car then guess what – you are right! If you want to change your life you need to start with the thoughts you have. Some call this stinking thinking, some call it thinking small. What ever it is – this one thing is true – what ever you tell yourself is true about your life and who you are is what your subconscious will believe.

Do you want to start changing your life today? If so, then start with these key things.

1). Sit down and write a list of the goals you would like to achieve – be very specific.

2). Set a time frame by which you would like to achieve each goal.

3). Repeat to yourself as many times a day as possible (50 to 100 to start). Every day in every way I am getting better and better. Or I am a winner and a Success and I will achieve what ever I set out to do. Anything like this that is motivational.

4). Contact Maximum Change to work through these goals and objectives and start setting plans to achieve those goals.

If you desire success in your life – Maximum Change Life Coaching can help. For more information, visit http://www.maximumchange.com or e-mail us at info@maximumchange.com to start your journey to a fulfilling and successful life.

Philip Foster holds a Master of Art in Organizational Leadership with an emphasis on Coaching and Mentoring. He works with individuals to help them find and reach their full potential in life. Sessions start as little as $99 per month.

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Philip A Foster, M.A.
Life Coach -Maximum Change Coaching

http://www.maximumchange.com

Significant Change for the new year – Turning the resolution into action!

2005-12-31T15:41:00.001-06:00

Maximum Change:

A new year is now upon us. While The old year is slipping away minutes after it started. – The New Year is now here and soon will move from a future event to a past thought. Like every New Years Eve, the media has been buzzing with the idea of resolutions and goals. The interesting thing about the cusp of a New Year is that it causes us to reflect back on the current and past years. The start of a New Year many times brings the need for reflection and resolve to make much needed changes in hopes that the New Year will be more prosperous than the old. These resolutions cover everything from time, health and money.

According to a recent internet article by Kimberly & Albrecht Powell, the top 10 New Year’s Resolutions are:

1) Spend more time with Family & Friends

2) Fitness & Exercise

3) Loose weight

4) Quit Smoking

5) Enjoy Life More

6) Quit Drinking

7) Get Out of Debt

8) Learn Something New

9) Help Others

10)Get Organized.

While many utter their resolution, most do not put action behind those words. Saying something is many times a lot easier than the action required to manifest the change you so much desire. Change requires us to push through some kind of resistance to birth a new reality of who we are or what we desire to be. Change requires a choice to be earnest in a desire to change and the persistence to see it to the goal. Many times it becomes easier to tolerate where we are and we quickly forget the reasons we wanted the change in the first place. Resigned to the idea that the change we desire may be too hard for us to achieve.

Many times what we need most is someone who can help us best define our goals and then hold us accountable to achieve those goals. We must choose to put action behind those words of resolve we utter New Years Eve. What ever your resolution or goal – there is a high probability that like most American’s you will not achieve them unless you take them serious.

Do you want to make significant changes in your life? Rather than just saying you’re going to change something in your life this year - why don't you actually do something about it?

· Do you want to achieve ambitious goals faster and build creative momentum?

· Do you need to balance work and personal priorities to enjoy a fuller, integrated life?

· Do you want to manage your career, job or life transitions more successfully?

· Are you stuck in a rut?

· Do you need help defining goals or a life vision?

· Do you desire to enhance your relationships?

· Do you need to get organized?

· Do you want to be happier?

· Do you need to find ways to manage stress?

If you answered yes to any of these questions or have other areas you wish to make significant, positive change - then you need a life coach! Don't let another year go by without meaningful growth and change in your life! It is all up to you - are you ready?

For more information on how a life coach can help you – visit www.maximumchange.com to start your journey to a fulfilling life.

Philip Foster holds a Masters of Art in Organizational Leadership with an emphasis on Coaching and Mentoring. He works with individuals to help them find and reach their full potential in life. Sessions start as little as $99 per month. E-mail him today to start your journey to change today - philip@maximumchange.com or visit www.maximumchange.com for more information.

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Philip A Foster, M.A.
Life Coach -Maximum Change Coaching

http://www.maximumchange.com

Rut Busting - Living beyond complacency and Climbing out of your rut

2005-10-31T19:49:00.000-06:00

Rut Busting
Living beyond complacency
Climbing out of the Rut.

By Philip A. Foster, MA

Many times in life we find ourselves in the proverbial rut – you know how it is, you go through the motions of life, but you’re trapped in the things you do with no apparent ability or knowledge to do anything about it so you just keep going on and on doing the same things over and over again! Or even worst than the rut, we become complacent with where we are in our life journey. Both can be very dangerous and keep us from the full calling God places on our lives.

Luke 6:24-26 “But its trouble ahead if you think you have it made. What you have is all you'll ever get. And it's trouble ahead if you're satisfied with yourself. Your self will not satisfy you for long. And its trouble ahead if you think life's all fun and games. There's suffering to be met, and you're going to meet it. There's trouble ahead when you live only for the approval of others, saying what flatters them, doing what indulges them. Popularity contests are not truth contests--look how many scoundrel preachers were approved by your ancestors! Your task is to be true, not popular.” – MSG

Do you ever get the feeling that there is so much more than life seems to present? As if your life needs to mean something! Or even as if God is calling you to something more than you are experiencing right now? And there you sit; discouraged and saying to yourself "there has got to be more! God has got to expect more out of me and my life!” Or you have reached a level of comfort and think "why should I work harder, why should I change? Things are great, nothing bad can happen now!" You may have a good job, wonderful spouse, a house, a dog, cat or even kids and a nice ride in the garage. These things may temporarily make us happy but do they fulfill Gods calling in our lives? To know God wants more out of us but here we are stuck down in this self-made rut or even worst we don’t even know we are stuck because we are so complacent in what we have achieved that we become blind to God’s fullest desires for our lives.

Ruts and complacency are very much diversions the enemy sends to keep us busy until we one day wake up and it’s too late. They are traps of life that the enemy sets against us to control and divert our attention from God’s fullest desire and calling for our lives. A rut can be identified when we reach a place in our lives where everything can be predicted and we don’t expect anything unusual from God.

Since it appears to be so easy to fall into these traps, how do we get out of them? The answer may be very simple but the process is not. As we know by now a rut is an impression caused by heavy traffic or habitual passage. It is defined in a dictionary as a usual or fixed practice or a monotonous routine.

To get out of a rut we must 1) Stop - forward motion while in a rut can only make your problem worst. And certainly the faster you try to move in a rut the deeper you find yourself in the rut 2) Seek help from others - find someone who is equiped with the right tools and know how to help you out of your rut. If you believe that God can do all things - you will certainly want to look to him for help but also to those best equiped here on Earth to help as well. 3) Change direction - find a new path to travel on all the while watching for possible new ruts. Through out our life challenges we should always turn and keep our attention on what God's calling is for our lives and to utilize the tools before us to more effectively act upon our calling.

If you feel as if you’re in a rut or have beomce complacent with your life and want to become all God has called you to be, you may be a candidate for a life coach. For more information on how a life coach can help you – visit www.maximumchange.com to start your journey to fullness of God’s calling on your life.

Philip Foster holds a Masters of Art in Organizational Leadership with an emphasis on Coaching and Mentoring. He works with Christians and NonChristians Alike to find and reach their full potential in life. E-mail him today to start your journy to change today - philip@maximumchange.com

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Philip A Foster, M.A.
Life Coach - Maximum Change Coaching

Warp Speed or Blow Out?

2005-09-07T20:13:00.000-05:00

MAXIMUM CHANGE:

Every day, we live life at the speed of light. We are literally flying by the seat of our pants! Up at 5:30AM - out the door by 6:30AM. Coffee is our only sustenance. We work through lunch... and then out the door by 5PM on our way to gulp down dinner and then on to evening activities with our church or children. Life becomes a blur - Monday turns into Monday, Weeks fly by into Months and before you know it another Year has arrived.

Life is measured by how fast and how much we can get done in a short period of time! Urgency is all around. We are a society of instantaneous results. We no longer wait weeks for mail, when we can get an e-mail in seconds. Speed sometimes destroys quality of work and quality of life.

I often hear people say that they love living life this way and my favorite "a little stress is good for everyone." While these maybe true for some... the reality is that there is a cost for life in the fast lane.

We are literally burning ourselves out faster and faster every day. If we are burning ourselves out we are not able to be all that God calls us to be. Stress and too much activity can destroy you and leave nothing for God to use.

Do you know how to identify burn out? People who are burned out display some of the following attributes:

1) chronic fatigue
2) quick to anger - short fuse
3) low productivity
4) may withdraw from friends or family
5) may seek escape through addictions such as alcohol, illness, or absenteeism

If you want to change - if you are burning yourself out or you feel you are burned out now - if you just want to be all God has called you to be you may be a candidate for coaching. Contact us today for more information at http://www.maximumchange.com or contact us at info@maximumchange.com

You don't have to live life in the fast lane any more.

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Philip A Foster, M.A.
Life Coach - Maximum Change Coaching

It's Not Your Stuff!

2005-08-28T20:18:00.000-05:00

God tells us: "Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle an humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30

I find that one of the hardest things for anyone to do is rest in the Lord our God. He tells us to rest in him - to take up his yoke because it is easy and light. Instead we choose to handle it ourselves! What I know is this - plane and simple - It's not our stuff! That's right - the problems and solutions dont belong to us! They - like everything belong to God! God tells us that we constantly carry around "stuff" that does not belong to us. We think we can do it alone and sometimes rely on "Self Help" books to take care of the problem at hand. The idea of "self help" is a real misnomer because we can't always help ourselves. Reality is that "self help" books are just "help"

From the beginning of time we were designed by God to "need" God. We have heard about that "God Shaped Void" within us. We are programmed to need others and to be needed. When we choose to do it ourselves - we make it harder on ourselves as well as everyone around us and we deny God the opportunity to Bless us and be a witness to others. Don’t you think its time we gave back what does not belong to us?

If you want to change - if you have stuff you want to give back to God and dont know how - if you just want to be all God has called you to be you may be a candidate for coaching. Contact us today for more information at info@maximumchange.com or e-mail us at info@maximumchange.com

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Philip A Foster, M.A.
Life Coach - Maximum Change Coaching

Welcome Message

2005-08-13T10:19:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the Maximum Change (MC) blogg. My name is Philip Foster and I am the founder and lead coach for MC. Maximum Change is a Christ centered orgazniation with the purpose and passion to help Christian's discover and become all God has called them to be within their church, business, home and life in in general. Maximum Change and its staff are committed to a strong Christian worldview and the advancement of God's kingdom by combining a Christ focused philosophy with tested coaching, mentoring and consulting processes and resources to equip our clients for God's calling on their life.

Through this blogg I pray you find wisdom, humor, knowledge and above all things God's specific calling on your life! Should you be interested in our services, please contact me for further information. I hope you enjoy the blogg ahead.

With blessings
Philip Foster, MA
http://www.maximumchange.com