Hi —

Valentine's day may be over, but don't forget about the special gift I have for you! I'm celebrating 5 years in business this month and YOU get the gifts! Your first gift is my version of the Oscar Swag Bag with over $300 worth of goodies inside. GET YOURS NOW! On Sunday I'll be hanging out with some girlfriends watching the red carpet and casting our own ballots on who WE think will take home the Oscars. Any excuse for some fun!

Response to my brand new group coaching program beginning March 5th with my friend and colleague Tammy Cook has been terrific! Don't miss the chance to get started with us in just a couple weeks. I'm so sure the program is going to help you reach your goals and make 2009 the very best that I'm offering you a one month F.R.E.E. membership to my Best Year Ever Group Coaching program (plus $5 for shipping and handling). See below for details.

I also wanted to quickly tell you I'll be speaking in Crystal Lake, IL. If you're nearby I invite you to join us. I'm one of three speakers at a Women's Health Workshop titled Handling Hormones Naturally on Tuesday, February 24th from 6:30 - 9:00 PM. The $10 admission benefits Turning Point of McHenry County.

Featured speaker, Dr. Jill Howe, will be providing practical information to give participants a complete understanding of the causes and symptoms that occur during PMS and Menopause. She'll also share solutions regarding natural holistic approaches via diet, exercise and stress reduction. I'll be sharing Three Secrets to Prevent and Reverse Burnout. If you're feeling stressed and burned out come and get some strategies to reduce stress, set healthy boundaries and learn to say No. Seating is limited so call 815-477-8844 to reserve your spot.

This month's Guilt-Free article

I was recently reminded about the importance of choosing a good attitude while attending a ladies networking luncheon and tea. Even being a coach, it was good for me to be reminded of what I regularly share with my clients!

Below you'll find the highlights of the talk presented by Laurie Nelson from Family Services of McHenry County. One of the strategies she suggested to alter your attitude is the use of affirmations. OK, go ahead and say it, "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me!" Laugh as you might, affirmations really do work! And you'll find 5 elements below to creating a powerful one for yourself.

Cheers!

Victoria Cook, ACC
Your Guilt-Free Coach

PS: A great big "Welcome!" to all the new readers who joined my guilt-free community the last two weeks! You're going to love the resources you'll find here to help you create more time and focus to get done what's most important...Guilt-Free! Enjoy!

It’s my 5 year business anniversary and I’m celebrating, but YOU get the gifts!! For the next 5 months, I will be offering you a different gift each month.

Gift #1 - Can I give you a one month F.R.E.E. membership to my Best Year Ever Coaching program (plus $5 for shipping and handling)? That's just ONE of the items in my version of the Oscar Swag Bag Worth over $300 for YOU! This complimentary virtual goodie bag contains amazing values from The Guilt-Free Coach and some of Victoria's favorite business partners. GET YOURS NOW!

One of the biggest challenges in achieving goals is sticking to the necessary action steps with focus and consistency. If that’s been a challenge for YOU and you’re tired of your plans fizzling out before year end, then you've got to check out my Best Year Ever group coaching program.

The purpose of the Best Year Ever Coaching Program? For you to make SIGNIFICANT improvements in your life and business, and to ensure that 2009 is your best, most successful year… EVER! Each biweekly call includes a brief lesson on a relevant topic and expert coaching to keep you focused on creating your Best Year and give you the specifics to get going with momentum. The calls will also provide accountability, support, and the resources to implement strategies that will keep your business and your life continually getting better and better.

I am so sure that you’ll get incredible value from this program that I’d love to give you the opportunity to try it out – for F.R.E.E.! When you sign up for the group program, you will receive your first month for free* along with an audio CD including introductory information and detailed notes to get you started before your first call.

As part of our launch, Tammy and I conducted our Best Year Ever complimentary teleclass. Here's some of the feedback we received so far:

• "The Wheel of Life exercise helped me identify 3 key areas in my life I want to improve...I took a look at what I was trying to do last year and where did I end up. It was amazing to me to see how many of last years goals I actually achieved. That made me feel like I CAN DO THIS and gave me a feeling of self-confidence as I look at what I want to achieve this year. This was a BIG ah-ha!"
• "After participating in the class my goals feel DOABLE! Thank you!"
• "I decided to focus on my business, specifically networking. I was able to break it down and list the people I can connect with and who to contact and how. I'm actually starting to network more than I have been. Thank you."
• "I had an ah-ha moment as a result of the class on the importance of making the decision BEFORE setting the goals."
• "You two are great! I completed the exercise and got moving on my goal. Thanks for all the terrific information."
• "I've been able to better visualize the characteristics of what I want in my career change through the exercises shared during the teleclass."

Join now to access my special FREE month membership trial

*$5 for shipping and handling of the CD

Did you pick a good one?
5 keys to creating a more positive attitude

I was reminded about the importance of choosing a good attitude at a High Tea and women's networking event I attended a couple weeks ago. The feature speaker, Laurie Nelson from Family Services, did a great job of sharing some benefits of a positive attitude and how to work towards creating one. Here are the 5 key highlights I took away from her talk:

You’ll feel better
A positive attitude makes you feel better, more energetic, and people are more drawn to being around you. Some studies have shown that a positive attitude can help fight disease. Laurie quoted that optimists are 55% less likely to die than elderly pessimists. Even if these statistics are only half true, it would still be worth choosing a positive attitude!

We believe what we repeatedly hear
Laurie reminded us that our brains are wired to believe what we repeatedly hear, whether it’s positive or negative. That’s why affirmations are a great way to work on changing our attitude. Affirmations can be used to positively influence negative feelings, thoughts and emotions.

OK, if you were watching late night TV in the 90’s thoughts of Al Franken’s Saturday Night Live character, Stuart Smalley, are probably coming to mind, “I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Me!”? Sure, he provided a great chuckle, but say that sentence aloud in front of your mirror every day and see what kind of changes it can make in your confidence. As a bonus, I bet it makes you smile! Maybe that’s not the right affirmation for you, but you get the idea!

Affirmations really do work. They change us on a cellular level. They serve as visualizations for what we want to do in our own life and set the intention to reach it. When repeated, they help us focus and create a sense of expectation about accomplishing what we confess. It creates stronger beliefs and helps rewire our brains to I CAN and I WILL if said regularly with a strong belief. Language is very powerful and we believe what we continually say.

Change YOUR tune
Garbage in, garbage out!! Affirmations are a terrific way to put more good stuff in. Here are 5 elements of a good affirmation to help you in creating your own:

1. Affirmations must be specific & measurable (just like a good goal)
2. Make it personal (“I…” or “I am…”)
3. Use the present tense
4. State your affirmation in the positive for a positive outcome
5. SUPER CHARGE your affirmation by adding EMOTIONS and feelings

Don’t forget to write them down and say them aloud!

Choose happiness…
Make a habit of associating with happy successful people. Just like our Moms told us, “You become like those you associate with!”

While we can't change some of our situations, we CAN choose how we respond to them. Reframing less desirable circumstances in a positive way can help us learn from the experience and look for hidden opportunities.

Your Guilt-Free Assignment (should you wish to accept it)
Pick one of the goals you’ve been struggling to achieve and see if you have any attitudes or beliefs that could be holding you back. Once identified, use the 5 elements above and create your own affirmation to counter that belief. Commit to choosing happiness and reciting your affirmation at the beginning and end of each day. Let me know how it’s going after a few days or a week. If you are still struggling, let me know. I have a few more tricks up my sleeve for turning around affirmations that aren’t quite working for you.

If you're ready to accelerate your success and make 2009 your very best year, my new Best Year Ever Group Coaching program can make the difference. Each biweekly call includes a brief lesson (March is GOAL SETTING) on a relevant topic and expert coaching to keep you focused on creating your best year, and give you the specifics to get going with momentum. The calls will also provide accountability, support, and the resources to implement strategies that will keep your business and your life continually getting better and better. You can get this and more through myBest Year Ever Group Coaching program.

© 2009 Victoria Cook. All Rights Reserved.

Want to use this article on your website or your own ezine? No problem! But here's what you MUST include:

Victoria Cook, The Guilt-Free Coach, helps ambitious working Moms create more time and focus to accomplish their goals, grow their business, and live guilt-free! To get YOUR F.R.E.E. resources for increasing YOUR time and reducing stress, visit www.TheGuiltFreeCoach.com/gift

Victoria Cook is the founder of The Guilt-Free Coach, a company devoted to helping working Moms grow their business or career in alignment with their priorities at home.

Through her workshops, courses, and coaching programs, Victoria assists her clients in creating the time and energy to get done what's most important so they can live Guilt-Free.

To begin experiencing Victoria's coaching, you can enjoy one month of her Best Year Ever group coaching program at no charge, beginning right now (plus a small $5 shipping/handling fee).

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© 2009 Victoria Cook. All Rights Reserved.