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        What Could Be Better?   
Written by Helen F. Kosinski, Professional Coach         
   September 2006: Volume 1, Issue 1    

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This Month:
What’s Fear Got to Do with It?  
Feature Article
What's Next for You?
Resources
What Do You Think?

+++ Don’t forget to subscribe to this newsletter!
Please send a blank e-mail to:
Helen20-192607@autocontactor.com and receive
3 FR*EE
Success Journal Secrets to creating
a better life!
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Hi,

Welcome to the premier issue of “What Could Be Better?”!

I’m thrilled to be publishing my first issue this month because
I think of September as a time of change…the seasons are
starting to change, kids are going off to a new school
experience and here in the northeast, the animals are starting
to get their winter coats.  There’s a sense of possibility in
the air!  

Today’s feature article focuses on change and the role fear may
play in preventing you from making the changes that could make
your life…
Better Than Ever!

In future months I plan to cover topics, like procrastination,
the masks we wear and clutter.  Yes, clutter!  Do you really
know how much affect clutter has on you?  If not, stay tuned!  

I hope you enjoy this issue of What Could Be Better?.  Please
note, you have NOT been automatically added to this distribution
list.  If you’d like to
CONTINUE to RECEIVE this monthly
newsletter, please send a blank e-mail to
Helen20-192607@autocontactor.com.  When you receive the
confirmation e-mail, please follow the instructions to complete
your subscription.  As a special
THANK YOU for subscribing, you
will receive Three FR*EE Success Journal Secrets to Creating a
Better Life!

I look forward to providing you information about creating a
better life…please let me know what topics would be interesting
to you.

Make it a
Better Than Ever month!

All my best,
Helen

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Feature Article: What’s Fear Got to Do with It?

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Here on Cape Cod, the warm days of summer are being replaced
with the early chill of fall…the seasons are changing.  Have you
ever noticed how some things change without us even realizing
it…”How did Jonathan get so tall?” or “Where did the time go?”!
Sometimes we are the catalyst of our changes.  And, still other
times, we really, really want to make a change, but…

Why do you suppose some changes are so hard to make?  For
example, I knew for years, probably from the day I started
working there, that I didn’t want to work for a large company.
But I worked there for over 19 years.  I was making good money,
I was learning new things and it was comfortable.  As I look
back, not doing anything wasn’t about procrastination or
resistance to change, but about fear.  

Fear is a very powerful emotion.  It can keep someone stuck for
years or in some cases forever.  Is there something that you’ve
always wanted to do, but somehow it’s just never happened?  It
can be a significant change or something you think is small.
Here are three steps that may help get you started:

Step #1 - What are you really afraid of?
The word fear itself means very different things to different people.
It also can mean different things to someone at different times.  
So, it may be helpful for you to identify what fear means to you for
one change you would like to make.  For example, when I really
took a hard look at what was keeping me in a job I wasn’t
passionate about, it really boiled down to my fear of not having
enough money.  What are you afraid of…really, deep down?
Don’t be surprised if there are multiple things…

Step #2 – Is it really true?
Once you’ve figured out the thing or things that you fear, it’s
time to figure out if what you’re afraid of is true or not.  I recently
heard that FEAR is an acronym for:    
False    
Evidence    
Appearing    
Real  
Is that true for you?  In an effort to figure out if my fear was real,
I ‘did the math’ so to speak.  I tallied up all of our assets and
debt to get a clear picture of our net worth.  We also kept
track of all of our expenses for six months so that I could
really see where our money was going.  Once I saw it in black
and white, I was pleasantly surprised!  My fear really wasn’t
true.  We had a comfortable cushion, which allowed me to start
seriously considering following my dream of becoming a coach.
Now, you try it…taking each of your fears, look at what you can
do to figure out if what you’re afraid of is really true?  Be
sure to establish a clear picture of how you will evaluate the
results.  For example, in my situation the success criteria was
having at least one year of living expenses easily accessible to
us.

Step #3 – What if it is true?
What if the facts just reinforce your fear(s)?  Then, it’s time to
think about what specific things you can do to reduce or, better
yet, eliminate that fear.  Although, I was pleased with the
financial facts I had uncovered, I still felt that we could reduce
our expenses.  So, we started looking at our spending and
identifying specific ways to cut costs.  Please notice that I said
‘we’ because sometimes we need to enlist the help of our
friends, family, colleagues and/or a professional coach to
create action plans to break through the fear preventing us
from making changes that we really want to make.

It’s amazing what can happen when you’re able to conquer a
debilitating fear and you are able to start moving forward!
Personally, I have been able to begin creating a life that I
love, do work that I’m truly passionate about and help others
create lives that are ‘
Better Than Ever’!  I know you’ll uncover
something just as exciting!  

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What’s Next for You?

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This month I’d like you to think about one thing that you would
love to change…maybe it’s your job, your hairstyle, being more
patient, starting to play an instrument…it really can be
anything.  

Now, think about what is really holding you back…is it fear?  If
so, in a bulleted list write down what you are afraid of.

Then, identify one way that you can confirm whether this fear is
real or not.  

Finally, identify three steps you can take to start to eliminate
that fear!

Notice how you feel as you start to tackle your fear and make
progress on this change!  I’d love to hear how it’s going for
you…send me an e-mail:
Helen@BetterThanEverCoaching.com

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Resources

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-- Articles --
"Face Your Fears" by Lisa Martin
(
http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Martin7.html)

"The Top 10 Really Good News Items About Fear" by Grace Mosgeller
(
http://topten.org/public/BA/BA158.html)

"Two Ways to Feel Fear" by Paul McNeese
(
http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/mcneese5.html)

-- Books --
The Dance of Fear by Harriet Lerner

Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway by Susan Jeffers

Taming Your Gremlin: A Surprisingly Simple Method for
Getting Out of Your Own Way by Rick Carson

Note: Mention of any of the above resources does not        
   indicate endorsement.

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What Do You Think?

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How do you interpret the title of my newsletter?  ‘What Could Be
Better?’ could imply that nothing in the world could be better
for you right at this exact moment!  It also could imply that
you are inquiring what could be better…a better job, a better
outlook, or a better <
you fill in the blank>.  Is there another
way that you interpreted the title of this newsletter?  I’d love
to hear from you (
Helen@BetterThanEverCoaching.com)…
with your permission, I’ll include your thoughts in a future issue of
What Could Be Better?’.

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I hope you enjoyed the premier issue of
What Could Be Better?
As noted above, you have NOT been automatically added to this
distribution list.  To subscribe to this free newsletter, please
send a blank e-mail to
Helen20-192607@autocontactor.com.  When
you receive the confirmation e-mail, please follow the
instructions to complete your subscription.  As a special
THANK
YOU
for subscribing, you will receive Three FR*EE Success
Journal Secrets to Creating a Better Life!

Your privacy is important to me.  I will never sell, rent or
share my subscriber list with anyone.

Please pass this newsletter along to your friends, relatives and
colleagues; however, I request that you keep the entire issue
intact and unaltered.  

Please send any questions, comments or insights to me at:
Helen@BetterThanEverCoaching.com or P.O. Box 391,
Brewster, MA  02631.  Or you can give me a call at: (888)
294-5779.

Be sure to visit my website at:
www.BetterThanEverCoaching.com for more information.

Would you like to experience coaching with me?  I offer a
30-minute complimentary coaching meeting.  Please send me an
e-mail (
Helen@BetterThanEverCoaching.com) or give me a
call ((888) 294-5779) to setup a convenient time to meet.  

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             Better Than Ever Coaching             
        Partnering with Professionals to               
            Confidently Navigate Change

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Copyright © 2006 Better Than Ever Coaching.  
All rights reserved.
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