Life Without Easy Answers

496 days ago | Life | Alan Allard

I’ve spent twenty five years plus working with individuals and couples, helping them to create positive change in their lives.

Ten of those years were spent in a full time private practice as a psychotherapist.

Over the years, I’ve learned at least a little about life, people, change, joy and pain.

I’ve learned …

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How To Build Your Confidence Fast!

497 days ago | Mastering Emotions, Self-Esteem/Self-Worth | Alan Allard

  Have you ever wondered why some people seem to set bigger goals and reach them faster than others who are aiming much lower?

 Their secret is simple: Self-confidence. (Okay, that’s just one of their secrets!)

 Here are five ways to increase your self-confidence fast:

   Start a “Self-Confidence Journal”

Start a list of everything you’ve …

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Why You Should Send Yourself A “Congratulations” Card!

498 days ago | Self-Esteem/Self-Worth, Uncategorized | Alan Allard

I was talking to a client today, listening to a recent success she’s had.

She was happy about it, really happy.

And I was happy for her. She not only reached a significant goal, she exceeded it.

Naturally, I asked her how she was going to celebrate her success. She had been thinking …

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How To Win Your “Inner Critic” Over

499 days ago | Career Success, Self-Esteem/Self-Worth | Alan Allard

I’m coaching a client, whom I’ll call Mark for now, who has been excelling as a manager for almost one year now. He’s really good at what he does, has a great personality, loves people and his direct reports respect him and like to be around him.

You’d think he’d be …

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When It Comes To Depression, You Are Much, Much More Than Your Biology

502 days ago | Mastering Emotions | Alan Allard

You already know that depression is a serious problem for many people, maybe even you.

What you might not know is where to turn if you or a loved one needs to better understand what depression is and how to deal with it.

Here’s a suggestion for where to start: http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2010/10/07/introducing-managing-depression-skillfully/

This is …

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How To Recover From Your Mistakes

503 days ago | Mastering Emotions, Mastering Stress & Overwhelm | Alan Allard

I was playing in a Texas Hold-em poker tournament recently and won the final table… largely because I was able to put my opponent “On Tilt.”

That’s a poker term for when a player loses his emotional balance. They get angry or lose their confidence and start making poor decisions.

When it …

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Frustrated? How To Feel Better Fast

504 days ago | Mastering Emotions, Mastering Stress & Overwhelm | Alan Allard

If you’re human, you know what frustration is.

It’s what we usually feel when we are stuck somewhere between where we are and where we want to be. It’s what we often feel when we want something now, but something or someone just seems to be in the way of our …

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How To Get The Job You Want Faster Than You Can Imagine

505 days ago | Career Success | Alan Allard

This afternoon I received a phone call from an accomplished sales professional.  But, he wasn’t calling me to sell me something.

He recently found out that he would probably be unemployed by the end of the year.

And even though he has been very successful in his profession, he was concerned. I …

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Mental Toughness: How To Handle The Tough Times

506 days ago | Mastering Stress & Overwhelm | Alan Allard

If we want to thrive in times of pressure, uncertainty and high stress, we have to have what some have called “Mental Toughness.”

Elite athletes have it.

Soldiers in combat better have it.

And if you ever face an extreme life challenge, such as a serious illness, a huge financial crisis or a …

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How To Achieve What You Think Is Impossible

507 days ago | Alan's Articles, Self-Improvement | Alan Allard

Over the past twenty years or so, I’ve worked with a lot of clients, both as a former psychotherapist and now as a coach. Some clients came to me wanting help with what they thought was impossible for them.

I remember one client, I’ll call him Bill, who told me his …

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