It was encouraging to get so many responses to last week's edition of the 5 Minute Life Coach. Thanks for letting me know that "Are you doing what matters most?" struck a chord.

What's new

For Christians in Business

How to harness social media to extend your influence. Discover how to develop a strategic web presence using Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

This FREE presentation will help you to see how you can harness the power of social media to extend your influence and grow your business. Highly recommended.

Kingdom Influence And The Power Of Social Media

Want To Hear God More Clearly?

If you want to hear God speak to you but find it hard to hear God's voice join me and Dr Joseph Peck for the first module of the How to hear God coaching program. You get to listen into the first session for free.

http://budurl.com/howtoheargod

How To Discover Your Destiny And Fulfill Your Life Purpose

I added another audio to the audio catalogue today:

Practical strategies to help you discover your destiny and fulfill your life purpose

Knowing your life purpose will satisfy that “itch” to find what you’re “supposed” to be doing. You will find my interview with Dr Jerry Graham here:

Discover your life purpose

Points to ponder

Who is in control of your life? You? God? Other people? Or is your life driven by circumstances?

When things don't work out as planned do you blame other people or do you take responsibility?

Blog Updates

Have you visited my Closer Walk With God blog recently? You'll find lots of inspiration to help you grow in God.

Blessings on you and yours,

Lynne

The power of influence

This article by Jim Rohn reminded me how important it is to periodically review what and who you allow to influence you.

I suggest that you take note of thoughts that come to you as you read and seriously consider finding ways of spending less time around negative influences.

Evaluating Your Associations by Jim Rohn

If you were to evaluate the major influences in your life that have shaped the kind of person you are, the people and thoughts you choose to allow into your life would be high on your list.

My mentor, gave me a very important warning that I would like to share with you. He said,

"Never underestimate the power of influence."

The influence of those around you is powerful! Many times you don't even realize you're being strongly affected because influences generally develop over an extended period of time.

Peer pressure is an especially powerful force because it is so subtle. If you're around people who spend all they make, chances are that you'll spend all you make. If you are around people who go to more ball games than concerts, chances are that you'll do the same thing. If you are around people who don't read, chances are that you won't read.

(If you spend most of your time around people who don't pray or connect with God the chances are that your relationship with God will dwindle.)

People can keep nudging you off course a little at a time until, finally, you find yourself asking, "How did I get here?" Those subtle influences need to be studied carefully if you really want your life to turn out the way you've planned.

With regard to this important point, let me give you three key questions to ask yourself. They may help you to make a better analysis of your current associations.

"Who do I spend most time with?"

Make a mental note of the people you most often associate with. Include everybody who is able to influence you in any way.

"What effect are these associations having on me?"

• What have they got me doing?
• What have they got me listening to?
• What have they got me reading?
• Where have they got me going?
• What do they have me thinking?
• How have they got me talking?
• How have they got me feeling?
• What have they got me saying?

It is worth taking time to seriously consider how other people are influencing you, both negatively and positively.

Now ask, "Is that okay?"

Maybe everyone you associate with is a positive, energizing influence. Then again, maybe there are some bad apples in the bunch. All I'm suggesting is that you take a close, objective look.

Everything is worth a second look, especially the power of influence. Only the right influence will take you in the direction you need to go.

It's easy to dismiss the things that influence your life as being unimportant. One man says, "I live here, but I don't think it matters. I'm around these people, but I don't think it hurts." I would take another look at that. Are you sure it's true?

Everything matters! Sure, some things matter more than others, but everything amounts to something. You need to keep checking to find out whether your associations are tipping the scales toward the positive or toward the negative.

Perhaps you've heard the story of the little bird. He had his wing over his eye and he was crying.

The owl said to the bird, "You are crying."

"Yes," said the little bird, and he pulled his wing away from his eye.

"Oh, I see," said the owl. "You're crying because the big bird pecked out your eye."

And the little bird said, "No, I'm not crying because the big bird pecked out my eye. I'm crying because I let him."

It's easy to let influence shape your life, to let associations determine your direction, to let pressures overwhelm you, and to let tides take you.

The big question is:

Are you nurturing the right atmosphere to allow yourself to become who and what you want to become?

• What steps will you take to minimize negative influences?

• What steps will you take to increase positive influences?

Be specific, and be sure to start taking action today.

More things to ponder

Brian Tracy said, "If I had to pick the #1 key to success, it would be...self-discipline. It is the difference between winning or losing; between greatness and mediocrity."

"Self-discipline is the key to personal greatness. It is the magic quality that opens all doors for you, and makes everything else possible.

With self-discipline, the average person can rise as far and as fast as his talents and intelligence can take him.

But without self-discipline, a person with every blessing of background, education and opportunity will seldom rise above mediocrity." - Brian Tracy

Did you manage to download and read through Be Your Own Life Coach Now? I hope your free gift isn't sitting on your hard drive gathering dust. If it is, do make time to open it and use it to start transforming your life. You'll be glad you did.

If you can't remember where you filed it - here is a link so you can download it again. Just right click and select 'save as'.

Be Your Own Life Coach Now

If you begin to change even one small thing you will begin to see a difference. Imagine what would happen if you changed just one small thing each week...

More Previously Teleseminars Are Available To Download

I'm gradually adding seminar replays to this page

Previous Christian Life Coaching Teleseminars

So if you missed a seminar and you're not yet a member of the Coaching Cafe you can get instant access to great life changing inspiration there.

Christian Life Coach Training

If you have dreamed of being a Christian life coach or if you are already a coach and would like to add to your skills, my colleague and friend, Christian life coach Janet Daughtry, offers excellent life coach training.

It's delivered on line and over the phone so you can benefit wherever you live. It's very affordable, you will find all the details here

Christian life coach training

7 Powerful Keys To Unlock Your Life's Potential

This audio series will help you to live life as God intended. It contains the very best of Janet Daughtry's Christian life coaching and is some of the best value coaching you will ever find.

7 Keys to unlock your potential

The Journal - Journaling software that will help you to keep track of what God is saying to you and help you to organize your life.

Spread The Word

Please feel free to share The 5 Minute Life Coach with your friends and associates so that they can benefit too. All I ask is that you observe the copyright guidelines below.

If you have a business you might like to check out my other blogs, they are all packed with useful resources to help you be more effective.

www.optimizeyourwebsiteblog.com/

www.internetmarketingforsmallbusinessesonline.com/

www.articlewritingandmarketing.com/

www.internetmarketingfirststeps.com

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Lynne Lee is a Christian life coach, who helps people to see themselves through God'e eyes and live life as He intended.