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Using Personal Growth to Predict Good Fortune

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Have you ever tucked a fortune cookie into your pocket because you liked what it said? Or have you looked at your horoscope and had your stomach sink in disappointment? Common, fess up, you have done it and I have, too!

But why do we let such things have even a fleeting moment of negative influence on our day?

That little message tucked in that fortune cookie can be a powerful reminder of possibilities, dreams or personal attributes that often get forgotten in everyday life. Regardless of whether we believe or not, it’s lovely to hear words of encouragement and hope, reminding us that greatness is around us and within us. Adversely, it sucks to spend your day anticipating a gloom and doom fate around the corner, all thanks to a cookie.

If these messages have an impact on you, learn to choose your sources well and to create alchemy of adversity, real or potential, to propel our life forward.

Sometimes it’s easier to think that our lives are completely out of our hands and we are just living a destiny with no say, relinquishing all responsibility and ownership of our experience. It’s common to perceive that challenges in our life, career, or relationships are due to someone else, or something else that isn’t as we think it should be. I mean, if just “they” or “it” would change, THEN our lives would be great, right?

What would life be like if we pooled together all the time and the energy we spent out there in the world, trying to change or control “it” or “them” to better suit our own fortune, and instead, invested that time and energy into Creating a Meaningful Life and Becoming our Best Self?

If it were easy, we would all have a perfect life. If changing were easy none of us would have difficulty with smoking, being overweight, and having addictions or affairs or struggles at all. Being human is being imperfect. Sometimes it’s easier to point out problems in other people’s back yards, than get to work cleaning up our own. We all have unique blinders that, at times, can distract or shield us from seeing the signs or observing the truth about how we contribution to our reality each day. But under close examination, this adversity can be an incubator for refining intuition and knowledge into exceptional tools for greatness.

Personal growth isn’t a magic pill; it’s a lifestyle of evolving, taking risks, being authentic and learning about what is REALLY important to us in life and hopefully sharing that in whichever way is unique to our special gifts. We move forward, and at times, can move backwards. Personal Growth is about learning to love instead of judge, and to use adversity, disappointment or constructive feedback as fuel for creating good fortune for self and others.

“I have always believed, and I still believe, that whatever good or bad fortune may come our way we can always give it meaning and transform it into something of value.” Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha
So hey, read the fortune cookie or horoscope if you like. But if you are considering labeling the message as good or bad, remember first that all fortune, used well, can become fuel for creating “good fortune.”  That being said, my prediction for your life, relationship or business is, that good fortune is on its way from today onward! Take pause and recognize “the signs” and be mindful to not misread or mislabel what is bad or what is good. Dependant on your use of it, it remains to be seen if what is in front of you is a roadblock or a stepping stone. Regardless of what you decide, either way you will be right!

If you have anything in your life, relationship or business that you currently perceive as misfortune, let us know and right here, right now, we will show you how to use alchemy to turn it into good fortune. Visit us at http://www.globalalignmentcoaching.com/oldsite to book a free 30 minute consultation to explore your potential!

Did you See the Boston Marathon Explosion Miracles?

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Looking for compassion, gratitude, and sameness in tragedy…

When I first looked at the news footage of the Boston Marathon Bombing, I felt absolutely sick. It was surreal. While so many people were aiming to achieve their personal best, others seem to have sunken to a personal worst. It’s hard not to feel anger when you are looking square in the eyes of malicious intent.

But after a week or so, I witnessed miracles. While watching the story evolve, and looking at the same footage – again and again and again – I began to see humanity in its best form. I saw people stop, and as though programmed with goodness, they literally ran into the ground zero of the marathon bombing site. Regardless if they were trained professionals or not, I came to realize that they all clearly had one thing on their minds – to HELP OTHERS!

There is something in me, as a person and as a therapist, which absolutely melts when I am lucky enough to witness the dynamic spirit that rises up in individuals, and goes nose to nose against adversity! In conversations with others, a constant question I had was “What is it exactly that makes one person run away from the a metaphoric  “ground zero” and another run directly towards the heart of it?” Where does that instinct of immediate courage and desire to help come from?

Time and time again, in current events, in natural disasters, in 9/11 and in tragedies of all kinds, I have witnessed an “equally proportionate or greater” boomerang of SAMENESS, COMPASSION & GRATITUDE.  These forces seem to well up in us and spread like wild fire throughout our towns, clubs, businesses, countries and often, the entire world when others are facing tragedy, adversity or ill will. It’s a though a raw nerve (our heart) ignites our absolute core, disarming any separateness, personal barriers, conflict and prejudice, so that we can unite. It causes us each to
immediately distill our priorities down to our most natural common denominator – “human beings that desire to survive” – and in the process unveils our most precious and miraculous gifts of humanity. Boston Marathon Bombing Miracles are seen in the overwhelming flood of SAMENESS, COMPASSION, GRATITUDE for people having each other and helping each other through strife.

We see what we choose to believe, and we must be not to believe everything that we see.  We all have choices. If we feel the world is an unsafe place full of tragedy and hate, that’s predominately what we will see. If we believe the world is full of wonder, grace and decency, than even in the face of adversity – THAT is predominately what we will see. This is how we can start to transform destructive anger, resentment and hatred into something that is actually meaningful, healthy and productive. The point of all life experiences are to help us become better people, not bitter people!

When you are watching the news footage tonight, please look for the Boston Marathon Bombing Miracles in the middle of the madness!  Serve the memory of those who died or were injured and those who served by helping the legacy of this event be about what matters most in life – Human goodness and LOVE!

Better yet, can we ask ourselves if we really want to wait for the next disaster to choose to connect to this compassion, gratitude and sameness in our everyday lives?

Global Alignment’s Pause for a Cause: Walk In Her Shoes

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A closer look at CARE

A great cause reminds me of what truly matters in the world and all that I have to be grateful for. A great cause helps me pause in the middle of my life routine and busy work day to regain a global perspective.

I named my business “Global Alignment” to remind my team and myself how we can positively impact the world by aligning in our sameness instead of separating in our differences. Can we remember to replace “I” with “We” in a global way? Beyond our global coaching, we sometimes forget to challenge ourselves to find ways to directly PARTICIPATE in global issues.

Our team at Global Alignment is very proud to support the “WALK IN HER SHOES” C.A.R.E. project which helps women and girls gain confidence and play a new and important role in their community. With help, they are being empowered to have choice, use their voice, defend dignity and find new ways to rise up against poverty and lift up their families and communities.

Founded in 1945, CARE is a leading international humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. In over 80 countries, CARE works with the poorest of communities to improve basic health and education, to access to clean water and food and expand economic opportunity.

To the Global Alignment clients, friends and associates that will “Walk In Her Shoes” we thank you and support you. For everyone else, please see take a moment to learn more about this amazing Walk and the CARE organization.

Like anything in life, little steps can have great impact! We encourage you to find what you CARE about (locally or globally) and participate in any way that feels right for you!

If you have a great organization, charity or cause that you support, we would like to know more about it. PLEASE post that information to our Global Alignment Facebook page. We are always interested in learning about ways to support great causes and groups!

The Global Alignment Team

Are you a Right or Left Brainer: Free Personality Test Review!

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Do you need to find your left and right alignment?

These days, we often are asked to complete a personality test for career or personal development reasons. We hear words such as left and right brain, sensing and judging, but what does this stuff mean anyway? Does it really have bearing on what is important in our daily life?
You may be wondering if you are a left or right brain person and how to determine which one you are. There are personally tests that help people discern a variety of aspects about their personality, including if you are a left or right brain person. I have been taking personally tests for about 10 years now and I find they can reveal a lot that is very relevant to daily life.

At risk of generalizing, people who are more right brain tend to be more influenced by their feelings, relationships and being in the now. They make an art of being, and have wonderful creative skills and spirit. They are often the musicians and artists of the world as well as the out of the box thinkers, visionaries, inventors and problem solvers. They often value relationships and tend to have a more organic approach to life, preferring to set their own pace.

On the other hand, Left Brainers tend to be more influenced by thinking, goals and the future. They have refined the skill of doing. They have an amazing ability to take a goal and break it down into tasks and steps. They often have the natural ability to be organized, timely, disciplined and accountable.  They can initiate, get things going, take a plan and put it into action.  These people are often great at project management, great with money and excel at coming up with ways to be more effective, efficient and organized.

We are often asked if it is it better to be a Right or Left Brained. My reply is that neither is better or worse.  There are equal gifts in being a right and left brainer as well as definite challenges when dwelling primarily in one polarity or the other, especially if you find yourself in the wrong career. Both left and right brain are on a continuum. Improving awareness of your left and right brain skills and tendencies can help promote balance in your life and your business. If you notice your life, relationships, decisions or career are facing the same challenges over and over again, it may very well indicate a lack of left and right brain balance.

If you want to know if you are a right or left brainer, try this free test and see for yourself.

Better yet, email us at info@globalalignmentcoaching.com by March 15th for a Free 30 minute Personality Test Review (via Skype). We find it’s powerful to learn insight into what your test means, what natural assets and possible challenges you might face in your current life, relationships, decisions and career choice. We will even provide you with some tips to help you switch gears and find your alignment!

Good Guys vs Bad Guys: Personal Development Beyond the Illusion!

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Classifying Ourselves and Others

It’s hard to watch the news or look around ourselves without seeing so much strife. Outrageous acts against humanity seem commonplace, and it can be hard to digest. This strife can strike our own lives as well, and the sting of hurt feels even worse it is delivered by the hands of people you trust and love.

We have likely all experienced this sort of betrayal at work, in our home, or in our relationships.  It’s incredibly difficult and painful! When trust is broken, it feels as if the good guys have turned bad, and we wonder if they’ve been this way all along. When the “dark side” or “underbelly’ side
of someone is exposed, are these their “true colors” that shine through? Are we actually seeing who and what they really are, for the very first time?

It can be a natural reaction to want to classify people, groups, or even entire countries in one category or another. Almost instantly, we decide if a person is trustworthy, good, or bad. We can view situations and people as black or white, perhaps believing that these categories and divisions will create order and safety, and reduce our chances of being hurt. But does viewing those around us in such strict categories help or hinder our personal development?

If you look to your own life, there is likely something or somebody that you have a strong adverse reaction to. You may fundamentally disagree with their values, their choices, or their actions. They may go against every fiber of what you believe in or what you stand for. Is it this opposition then, that results in the “bad guy” branding? Look deeper. If in your mind someone else is the bad guy, and you are in opposition of them, does that somehow position you to be the “Good Guy”? Human nature is a funny thing – don’t you think?

In our profession of personal deveopment, we work with everyday people with everyday problems. How to unravel hurt and reistablish trust is a common dilemma for most people. I find that recommending movies can afford us a powerful window into someone else’s experience or story that we can often relate to.

Your James Bond assignment (should you choose to accept it) is to first watch the amazing movie “Crash” starring Sandra Bullock, Matt Damon. (Youtube trailer attached –  (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqZKaH0bvyE ). When finished, make two lists of the movie characters: one indicating the good guys and the other for the bad guys in the film.

The next personal development step is for you to sit down and make your own list of who you think the bad guys are in your own life. This list will remain private, so there’s no need to hold back. This could be people you are aware of, but don’t personally know (e.g. politicians). It could include people at work or in your community. It could people who were at one time very close and dear to you.  This list usually spans time, calling on both your past and present life. What you may find as a common thread between these people is the sense of pain or even a distrust that you may experience when thinking of them.

Consider the movie, especially the areas of grey within the characters’ lives that shape their reactions and experiences, and then allow yourself to truly ponder.  Do you know who that other person is? Do you know who you are? What is it that separates the good and bad guys and is there a price to pay for that speration? When people and issues collide, what do you do with
the hurt of betrayal and how do you actually learn to trust again? Well my friends, that is the 10 million dollar question, with an answer to be unveiled soon.

Once you have completed this assignment, we encourage you to join us on the Global Alignment’s Facebook page to post and share your views of all that is challenging and wonderful about uncovering this very real dilemma.  We can all grow together.

Stay tuned for future NEWS BLOG articles on this and other topics, join us on Facebook or,  if you feel ready to take an ultimate step towards getting past your hurtful experiences, contact us at
info@globalalignmentcoaching.com .

Embracing a Minimalist Attitude: A Personal Development Plan

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´There is no path to peace. Peace is the path.´ ~ Mahatma Gandhi, “Non-Violence in Peace and War”

Minimalism as a lifestyle is not a new trend. In fact, many of the world´s top minds embraced minimalism in one fashion or another. Ghandi was a minimalist by situation and Einstein reputedly had a closet full of black suites and white shirts so that he did not waste thought when dressing each morning.

Ours is a society that loves stuff. The more you seem to have, the happier you are apparently supposed to be – at least in theory. TV, print, and online media all throw more and more must have items at us all day, every day, making it is nearly impossible to refuse to buy more and more of the latest things while last month´s technology already is obsolete!

But can possessions actually make you happier? Do things provide the fulfilment that advertisers promise and, once possessed, bring the expected feeling of restful satisfaction? Happiness, peace, and serenity do not come with more stuff and, in many cases, we become a slave to our possessions. But hey, is not it possible to look at something lovely and have it bring back a memory or provide a sense of Joy? It is all about balance and considering your own mindful personal development plan.

In our consumer world it is becoming more about paring down your stuff: every six months go through your home, giving away or recycling all that you do not need. You will be surprised about how truly great “giving away” or “letting go of the pursuit” and “simplifying and sharing” make us feel. Forget about the “Jones” next door. Do your own thing and focus on connecting with others and making quality time for people you love that are behind their Blackberries and Nintendo. As we watch these trends shift, we predict that authentic sharing is becoming HIP!

To learn more about embracing a minimalist attitude, read Leo Babauta´s mnmlist blog and miss minimalist who eloquently explains ´being a minimalist isn´t only about white walls and empty spaces. It´s about eliminating the distractions that keep us from fully appreciating life.´ Its about a personal development plan that helps you access your passion, goals and potential in a simplified way!

The Global Alignment Coaching Team