JAMES McPARTLAND'S BLOG

"Taking responsibility for the magic of our own life experiences frees us from waiting for the world to change so we can enjoy ourselves." James McPartland We get what we look for, and listen for, from the great game of life. At any point in time, we can create magical moments or miserable moments based on our own expectations. We often believe we know the outcome of a meeting, discussion, or an event before it even has taken place. And as such, we are seldom disappointed. We

"Words are part of a universal family where there are no orphans. Each of our words are related through a shared network of associations, and they magnify the experience we call life. How people and events occur to us are defined by our choice of words, and we can substitute the meanings and labels we create at any point in time. Watch your words and think about what you are thinking about. You have access to a global family of words that holds the key to living the life you

"Self expression is demonstrated through the daily activities that reveal our most strongly held beliefs." James McPartland We are walking, talking examples of all that we accept and hold to be true. Behavior is the ultimate demonstration of a belief, and it is helpful to know that a behavior can not be changed until the supporting belief is changed. No matter what we say, we always act in a manner that is consistent with our convictions. #personaldevelopment #executivecoach

"Once we let go of our past mistakes and release the grip of our future fears - what is left for us to be so worried about?" James McPartland Being present is truly one of life’s great challenges as we seem to be regretting much of the past, or anticipating what we must deal with in the future. Add to that the incessant demands of our smartphones, a need to stay connected and “liked” in our social media world, and the never ending daily demands of a life that has us busy bein

"It is never too late for a joyful childhood." James McPartland We are each powerfully influenced by our experiences as children, as this early stage of existence sets the direction for our lives. Research shows that by the time we are somewhere between the ages of 6 and 8, we have unconsciously designed the course of our own future. In other words, when we evaluate our lives, a great many of us come to realize that we have been taking instructions from a 6 year old. After th

"Without a plan, and intentional effort, we must learn to settle for whatever we get." James McPartland While most things in life do not proceed as planned, they do not go anywhere without a plan. Unless we take measurable action for our plan, we must accept the result of our efforts. Much like the misunderstanding in the law of attraction illustrates, if we sit on the couch and only think about what we want in life, someone will come and take the couch and all of our other f

"The loud voice in our head often drowns out the whispers from our heart. Take the time to listen to your heart." James McPartland As the unscheduled conversations we have with ourselves continue throughout the day, we ask and answer questions that set the course for our lives. If our day is our life in miniature, then each day we lay new tar on the road we are traveling. A well paved road is far more appealing than blazing a new trail. Who has time to build roads? We have to

"Coach by example, lead by direction, learn like a student, and follow your fear down the road you are now called to travel." James McPartland We all have fears and insecurities, and still we yearn to unleash the greatness that dwells deep inside of us. Our potential can be found out on the skinny branches of life, so close and yet so far from reach. People hear what they see and therefore our willingness to lead ourselves first, to serve as a student - teacher for those we a

"Eggs being what they are and life being as it is, even the best laid plans will cause us to break a few eggs in pursuit of our dreams." James McPartland I have come to understand that the phrase "growing pains" was coined for a reason. If we are going to create new life experiences, cultivate meaningful relationships, build a successful business, develop a new discipline, or work diligently to better ourselves, we will meet resistance. Similar to what we learn when strength

"A demonstration of our authentic self is when we have something to say, and yet nothing to prove." James McPartland It is not unusual for us to say "yes" when we really mean "no". We often offer praise to a person because that is how others in the room are speaking to them at the moment. We want to be liked and frequently engage to elicit a certain set of responses from the people in our universe. Accepting what is and what isn't, with no need to attempt to change either, is

"The business we want, and the customers that we intend to keep, require a daily focus. In the event of an airplane crash, we would not recognize the air traffic controllers for yesterday's safe landings. We earn our results on a day by day basis." James McPartland Success is a results contest. And while we should celebrate our victories, every tomorrow is a new day. Championship teams find it enormously difficult to repeat last season's triumphs, and the hottest restaurant

"Seeking truth requires the courage to ask difficult questions. One of the best I know is: What do you think it is that I don't want to hear?" James McPartland Each of us is surrounded by course correcting opportunities. If life is a series of presentations, and our days are our lives in miniature, then we have valuable scoring systems encircling us in the form of our daily human experiences. Day in and day out we seek to influence others, and others seek to influence us. We

"We are only limited by the questions we ask, the knowledge we embrace, and our willingness to keep an open mind and heart." James McPartland We have the freedom to place our awareness on anything we choose and this, in and of itself, is an enormous source of power and potential. Wherever we put our attention and focus our thoughts, becomes our reality. Our external environment is the material representation of how we have been thinking, and thus an extension of our mind. Sea

"A minimum requirement to becoming the best version of yourself is knowing precisely what it is you have to do - and then doing your absolute best as you endeavor to do it." James McPartland For me the definition of passion is a willingness to suffer for what you love most. A focus on results will not lead to results, it is the process and the pursuit that leads to the intended outcome. Two keys lay at the heart of our own transformation: belief and behavior. Becoming the bes

"Your potential is irrelevant if you are not surrounded by people who challenge you, inspire you, and push you to realize it." James McPartland I am reminded frequently of the wise words I first heard years ago: "who you are around is who you become" and "you are the sum total of the five people you spend the most time with." Often there is a tendency to compare ourselves to the people who seem to play the game of life at a higher level, and that can demotivate us at the time

"Thought is the catalyst of action - we act on what we think about - and we become that which we have acted upon." James McPartland Do you stop to spend time to think about what you are thinking about? Most of our thoughts are memorized and 95% of our thinking is at the subconscious level. Another way to say this is that we have a habitual way of thinking. Every thought creates a chemical, that chemical results in a feeling, that feeling triggers a thought. Repeat this over t

"Being wrong as fast as possible is the path to higher learning." James McPartland We all hold beliefs, many of which we seek to validate through our daily living. After all, if we can't hold on to what we believe, what can we hold on to? Many of our beliefs were adopted from parents and teachers, from the environments where we spent most of our time, and in the social networks where we strived to belong. We know what we know and, for the most part, we know what we don't know

"A well thought out question can reveal something to you that you did not know you were looking for." James McPartland Formulating the right question is difficult, far more challenging than coming up with an answer. Depending on what we are searching for, our questions can lead us to exactly what we are in search of. While in some cases this is helpful, often times questions may not allow us to see what is right in front of us. Consider the distinction between these two quest

"Learning to live resides in our willingness to listen. Listening is the act of receiving. When we are able to listen, we are able to receive. And we always receive all that we require to play up to our potential in the great game of life." James McPartland All of the greats - being great parents, professionals, students, or athletes are great to the degree they have learned to listen. These people listen with intention, pay close attention to what is being said and acted u