Bruce Hemingway has two things in common with Batman. One, he shares the same name with billionaire Bruce Wayne, the Dark Knight’s “alter ego”. Two, he rescues people, but the only difference is that while Batman does this with his Batmobile, Batcave and martial arts, Bruce Hemingway does this by being a life coach.

Life coaches like Bruce Hemingway or Tony Robbins dedicate their life to the craft of guiding, educating and training an individual or a group of people with the aim to achieve a goal or develop a skill. Exactly what do life coaches do? Read this to find out:

• Life coaches lend a hand to clients in determining and achieving personal goals by applying methods such as mentoring, values assessment, behavior modification, behavior modeling and goal setting.

• Life coaches play the part of a “sounding board”. Clients see life coaches as people who listen to them and give them sincere feedback.

• Life coaches are motivators—they are ready to offer support when clients need a self confidence boost and be a lamppost to guide them which direction they should be taking.

• Though some coaches have a background in counseling, they engage their clients in a process that is different than a therapy session. Whereas therapists delve into the healing of past wounds, life coaches motivate you in examining your present situation and moving your life forward. Moreover, therapists aid the problematic whereas life coaches help the healthy people perk up their lives.

• They help you take the time out to evaluate your life and open your eyes as to why your life is not working the way you want it to.

• They help you create inspiring goals, locate and throw away hidden beliefs that limit your potential, keep you focused and positive.

Does your life need a coach? If amidst all your responsibilities, projects, activities and accomplishments you still feel a void in your heart and if there’s a tiny voice that tells you, you are going the wrong way then you definitely need a life coach to guide you to the right track. But remember, life coaches are only there to help you—you are in control of the coaching process, YOU ARE IN CHARGE of where your life will be going.

When I finally decided that it’s time to transfer my office, I knew I had to call Maya first. Not only is Maya a real estate agent (which means I can avail of discounts for the office), but she is also a pure blooded Chinese woman who is an expert in feng shui and feng shui office arrangements.

Yes, I believe in feng shui—so shoot me! But there’s nothing wrong if I follow a few dos and dont’s in my office—it won’t cost me anything if the feng shui office does work or not, right? Not only did Maya tell me about feng shui in choosing the office, she also told me about how to keep the mood in the office conducive for working.

So here are a few Feng Shui Office dos and Taboos straight from Maya:

• Pick an office or work space located in a prosperous neighborhood.

• The entrance to the premise should be inviting rather than ordinary.

• The corner, with the entrance on a diagonal to the corner itself is the best site for a building.

• Use the feng shui bagua to order the interior layout of the premise.

• To have a command position, sit in the corner farthest from the entrance.

• Never sit in line with the door, this is a path of negative energy.

• Keep your back toward the wall for support. Cover a post that protrudes from the corner with a hanging plant’s foliage.

• If you are conducting business from home, don’t face away from the door. You don’t want to turn your back on business that comes to you through the door.

• Avoid organizing your workspace such that you look straight out into a corridor or see the stairs, storage rooms, closets, elevators, or toilets.

• The computer must be in the North or west area of the office. This is to heighten creativity. If you want to use it to generate income, place it in the southeast.

• Place the safe in either west or northwest which both symbolize the metal element. Prosperity and financial stability is symbolized by the safe.

• Balance the yin and yang—that is balance light and dark colors, soft and hard surfaces,etc.

• Don’t have mirrors in the office. They reflect negative energy from clients or colleagues.

• Keep the cords of office equipment well hidden. By doing so, you do away with clutter and allow the free flow of chi.

The office is where we spend more than fifty percent of our day. It’s not a bad idea, to make it more soothing and relaxing right? To the feng shui believer, the do’s and dont’s of feng shui office arrangement is an indispensable element to be considered in the office. To those who claim it as a hoax, all I can say is this—-what would you lose if you try them?

Danielle is gifted with artistic hands that could put Picasso and Da Vinci at bay. Her paintings are full of life and are all original masterpieces. Ever since she was a child, Danielle has always dreamed of becoming a painter and owning an art studio – a dream that was far from the law firm that her family ran.

Today Danielle is a zombie working for her family’s law firm. Although she has good job performance, she just couldn’t put her heart and soul in it. She took up law after college because her father encouraged her to take a more ‘sensible’ path. The field demanded much of her time that she stopped painting, stopped practicing her art and stopped living her dream.

As Danielle’s best friend, I couldn’t bear to see her watch her life pass her by. I knew that I had to do something. I had to remind her of how different she was before. Then, she was teeming with life and pulsating with motivation. Now, she is as animated as a brick. I had to motivate her once more. While cooking up ideas on how to help Danielle, I remembered that Montaigne once said ‘The pleasant things in the world are pleasant thoughts: and the great art of life is to have as many of them as possible.’ So I bought my friend a book compilation on motivational thoughts.

Here are some examples of the motivational thoughts contained in the book:

• It’s YOUR Life, Live BIG – Josh Hind. If you want to eventually succeed, you need to do things that would move you closer to it. You just can’t dilly-dally and drag your feet around. However, if your dream is consists entirely of watching TV for hours on end, then by all means, drag your feet as much as you can.

• There is no elevator to success. You have to take the stairs. You’re a service company with a single employee! Being in autopilot will lead you no where near success. Who is responsible for your success? Look in the mirror. Don’t settle on being a follower—be a lifelong learner and leader.

• In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity – Albert Einstein. Tomas Alva Edison made 10, 000 wrong choices in the process of making the incandescent bulb. His only reply was that he now knew ten thousand ways by which it cannot be done.

• We don’t grow unless we take risks. Any successful company is riddled with failures – James E. How will you know if you will pass a class in physics if you don’t even take it? It is always better to try and fail than to live a lifetime of regret knowing that you had the chance to succeed.

• To be successful, you must decide exactly what you want to accomplish then resolve to pay the price to get it – Bunker Hunt. Success is earned. It is not like manna that will simply fall down from heaven. Decide what you want then work for it no matter how many boulders block your path.

• Life is like a bicycle – villagehero.com. The moment you stop pedaling, you start losing momentum. If you coast for too long, you fall. If your goal is something worth pursuing, do something to move you closer to it.

• This above all, to thine own self be true – Shakespeare. What’s the point of being someone you’re not? Will you forever wear that mask? Because it IS tiring—and sooner or later you’ll have to take it off.

• “Grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the Courage to change the things I can, and the Wisdom to know the difference” – The Serenity Prayer. Change is the only thing permanent. You have to learn to accept it. Not living your dream right at this moment doesn’t automatically mean that you will forever not be able to reach it, because if you really want to live your dream, you will find a way to do so.

I am sure that Danielle found the book that I gave her beneficial because when I visited her yesterday, she looked happier. Perhaps you are also in need of motivation. Well, I am positive that the above motivational thoughts could also help you. But you have to remember that these motivational thoughts will remain nothing but words unless you make them your own. They are there to guide your actions, not to make the actions happen. They can help mold your attitude but they cannot do the whole thing for you. They can influence you to change your perspective but they cannot maintain that perspective for you. You are the one responsible for the action. Napoleon Hill said “Man, alone, has the power to transform his thoughts into physical reality; man alone, can dream and make his dreams come true’.

I walked in on Dino doing the craziest thing I have ever seen—saying HI to the sun! When Dino caught me staring at him aghast, he blurted out, “What? This is my self-esteem activity for the day!”

I would have thought Dino was just getting in touch with his schizophrenic tendencies. But when Dino began explaining to me about his so-called self esteem activities, I began to think that maybe I am the one with schizophrenic tendencies for not knowing about them. According to Dino, self esteem activities are simple activities that help individuals build self-esteem in just an hour a day. They help reaffirm one’s worth and increase self-confidence. Here are a few daily activities Dino sneaks in his everyday schedule to help him boost his self-esteem:

• Write down five things you’re good at and tack it on the ceiling. Give at least five minutes to read the words before starting the day.

• Keep a thought for a day calendar – you get a mouthful of uplifting messages along with your daily dosage of caffeine.

• Have an inspirational or self-help book handy in your bag or car when you go nuts over waiting in line, traffic, or being in an elevator.

• Be a singing sensation—in the bathroom! Choose a song that describes what you want in life and belt it out in the shower. This releases endorphins and helps in blood circulation.

• Set aside an hour during the weekends to accomplish small tasks such as planting flowers.

• Make your bathroom mirror a collage of affirmations! So every time you brush your teeth, you can look in the mirror and repeat three things you like about yourself!

• Capture moments and preserve them for a lifetime by keeping a journal.

• Smile—it’s not as hard and it won’t cost you a penny.

• Take time to do things you enjoy but also learn something new.

• Have a sense of humor! Jokes literally litter everywhere! Do everyone a favor and pick them up!

• Do silly things—and do them one more time!

• Let your creativity flow—write a poem, paint a picture, do a sculpture.

• Think of somebody you love.

• Clean your bathroom. Remodel your room.

• Make some lists: 20 things you know how to do, 5 great achievements in your life, 10 strengths you have, etc.

• Talk to people. Someone under age 6—it’s fun. Talk to someone over age 70—it’s full of wisdom.

• Have, or better yet, give a massage! Personal touch can give you wonders!

How do you gain self-esteem for free? Simply have fun and do the things you enjoy the most. You don’t need money nor do you need to be a genius to build self-esteem. Appreciating and doing the tiny tasks (and even just a little “me” time) will create the happiness you are searching for. Self esteem activities can help you love your self, love others, and love life.

Niccho is not your average triathlete. Whereas most triathletes experience their confidence and focus during competition or perhaps feel stomach jitters when they are about to compete, Niccho is just oozing with determination and strength! Though Niccho’s training is less rigid compared to other triathletes, Niccho performs excellently during competitions. Niccho’s secret? Mind training.

Mind training is not just for athletes who want to get the gold during their events. Rather, every individual will benefit dramatically from mind training. This is because mind training can improve performance, as well as give the average human the power to overcome, potentially, any problem. Here are things you need to know about mind training:

• Mind training is based on the Buddhist tradition rooted on a set of proverbs developed in Tibet by Chekawa during the 12th century. The twin pillars of the practice are Ultimate Bodhicitta, translated as ‘open-mindedness’ and Relative Bodhicitta, translated as ‘compassion’. Mind training gives you a set of vaccine to bad mental habits, paranoia and predetermined ideas that hinder the potential of humans.

• Mind training is grounded on the idea that the mind controls the body and not vice versa. Mind training remedies self-sabotage—that is, when under pressure, humans inadvertently bring out dilemmas which do not exist in practice.

• Mind training utilizes the power of the mind to work as an ally or a nemesis, depending on how it is programmed to perform.

• Mind training helps you overcome intense nervousness and gives you a deep belief in yourself and your abilities. Mind training aids in concentration as well.

• Mind training helps you to be ‘in the zone’—that is to be in a mental state wherein you feel that your performance seems to flow effortlessly, that you simply cannot do anything wrong. Mind training achieves this through visualization. This is done by consistently imagining your self performing at your peak level. By doing so, a mental blueprint is created by the power of subconscious mind which your body will follow in your endeavor. Mind training is all about running movies of your success in your mind.

• Mind training assist humans in hurdling problems and reach the absolute peak of their potential. It facilitates a calm, clear and concentrated mind. Mind training improves motivation and enjoyment of training and working.

Why do humans need mind training? For the simple reason that what the mind conceives, the body can achieve.