by David Steele

I'd like to declare 2006 the "Year of Conscious Choices." Our planet would work so much better if all choices were conscious.

What does it mean to be "Conscious?"

To illustrate, I propose the following three levels of consciousness:

1. Unconscious (awake but unaware)

This is when you forget where you put your keys, leave the headlights on and are surprised by a dead battery, drive past your freeway exit, etc. You're simply not paying attention.

If life is like an iceberg, when we're unconscious we crash and sink before we see it.

2. Semi-conscious (aware of what’s in front of you)

This is when you're sure you know what's what. We believe that our stories (beliefs, interpretations, etc) and sensory perceptions (see, hear, feel, etc) are true and correct.

If life is like an iceberg, when we're semi-conscious we're aware of the iceberg and truly believe we know how to avoid it, then crash and sink because it's larger than we thought.

3. Conscious (aware of the big picture)

This is when we humbly understand that "you don't know what you don't know," and realize that there may be more to a situation than we can see or understand at the time. We are aware of our goal and do our best to learn more about the situation and examine our options to make the best possible choice.

If life is like an iceberg, when we're conscious we realize that we need to know more about what's under the surface before making our choices about how to proceed.

Three Keys to Making Conscious Choices

1. Be clear about who you are and what you want.

What's the purpose of your life? What is your Vision for your life, work, and relationships? What are your requirements, needs, and wants in any situation?

Strive to lower the waterline on the iceberg that is your Self to achieve the clarity you need to be motivated and empowered.

2. Stay focused on what's important to you - don't settle for less.

Most people "lead lives of quiet desperation." They want to be happy, but don't know how and don't think it's possible. However, the Law of Attraction can work for you or against you, and if you expect less, you'll get less.

Go after what you really want in your life and assume you can find the choices needed to be successful if you're looking for them.

3. Be supportable- with enough help you can do anything!

We're human, and no one is successful alone. We need to be conscious of our support needs and proactively seek to get them met.

Continually ask yourself what help you need and who can help you.

Wishing you a healthy, happy, conscious New Year.

©2006 by David Steele, MA, LMFT, Founder of Relationship Coaching Institute, Author of the ground-breaking new book for singles "Conscious Dating: Finding the Love of Your Life in Today's World." For FREE "Making Conscious Choices" audio program please visit http://www.consciousdating.com..

This weekend, I was tweaking my business goals for the year and knew that I needed and wanted to get more help this year -- not "do it alone". I have built into my "Daily Action Plan" the question "Who can help me with this?".

Which of David's keys will you focus on this year?

February 21, 2006
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Want to become conscious about chocolate?

I had the pleasure of hearing Suzanne Oakley, Founder of Experience: CHOCOLATE last week at the Boston, Downtown Women Club - Boston's Lunch and to sample some great chocolate. Experience: CHOCOLATE (tm) offers the discerning chocolate lover the opportunity to experience chocolate of exceptional quality and taste through fun, informational, and hands-on Chocolate Tastings. The Chocolate Tastings are designed to acquaint discriminating chocolate lovers with exceptional chocolate choices and provide a forum for their convenient purchase.

Call 617-840-4766 to schedule a Chocolate Tasting and look for their ever-changing selections and reviews at http://www.experiencechocolate.com.

Coach Andrea's Coaching Tip of the Week is brought to you by Andrea Novakowski, Master Certified Coach who provides Business and Personal Coaching to Corporations, Businesses, and Individuals. Andrea is a professional coach who partners with people to set goals and create momentum to produce effective results in their business and/or personal lives.

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