Ask Ms. Mindfulness

How to Stop Judging People (Just Leave it to Judge Judy) In August of 2015, a month after I packed in my job and started my own life coaching company, I decided to reward myself with a two-week meditation retreat. A few weeks of blissful self-reflection in the wilds of the Colorado mountains I mused. A fitting start for a trail-blazing woman who has just left the madness of the corporate grind to embark on a new journey and start a business focused on personal development. It reminds me of that saying, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” Perhaps you’ve heard of it? The setting was indeed idyllic. I spent the two weeks in a tent in a very remote part of the Colorado mountains with 120 other brave souls. So idyllic, in fact, that often a chipmunk or deer would wander in during meditation sessions and stare at the strange humans sitting on mats, staring off into space for hours on end. I often spent hours longing to be one of those deer. At least I could have escaped.  The night before the retreat started, we gathered together for an orientation. During that session, it became clear to me that the meditation retreat really was just that – meditating. All day long. No rest for the weary. Sitting was to start at 7 am and end each evening around 9 pm. And it was at that point, Dear Reader, that the panic started to set in. Two weeks? Two weeks of sitting on a mat? My legs will go numb. My back will give out. I’ll die of boredom. And it was just at that precise moment, in my infinite wisdom, I realized I had inadvertently signed up for two weeks of my worst fear. For some people it’s snakes. For some it’s death. I, however, fear boredom and will do just about anything to avoid it. We See What We Want To See You may be thinking to yourself, “How could she have been so stupid?” (Which would be judgment, by the way, but we’ll get into that later.) And it’s true. It was indeed billed as a meditation retreat – make no mistake. But often the mind sees and interprets what it wants to see and interpret, Dear Reader. After the first day, I was convinced I was going to claw my eyes out. Between sitting sessions, I sought out other like-minded meditators for much needed conversation where I blurted out my fears and concerns like a bulimic needing a good purge. And then the unthinkable happened. The head meditation instructor announced that the retreat was to become completely silent. No talking, even between the sitting sessions during breaks. Not one single word. If there was an emergency, we were to write a note. A Run-Away Freight Train High on Judgment Resigned to my new silent fate, the next morning I was sitting on my mat, under the guise of meditation:   “Uuuugh, I

Are You Ready? Career change coaches are just what you expect: they are coaches. Do you remember your football and softball coaches as you were growing up? Their job was to motivate you, challenge you, increase your expectations of yourself because they knew you could do it. Your coaches would guide you through practice, performing those plays over and over to make sure you were prepared when the big game came. That’s what you can expect from your career change coach in Austin. Learn From A Career Change Coach In Austin Shelley Pernot is trained on the in’s and out’s of how to change careers in a professional, thoughtful manner. She understands this jump may not come easy for all, and it may feel impossible at times for others. But Shelley is with you every step of the way, helping you get through the hurdles of self-actualization, job search and applications, and finally, a new career. Taking Time To Plan You will work together to create a strategy for advancement. Shelley will help you build a realistic approach to finding your dream job. She will spend time learning from you about your goals and how you define success. Every client’s story is different and Shelley tailors every strategy to match your needs.     Follow The Steps To Execute Following the client success mapping, you will fulfill each of the defined steps to your goal. Just as your sports coach would stay with you through the challenging games, Shelley will stand by your side during this journey. Along the way, you might have questions and probably speed bumps. Shelley’s still there. Your relationship with Shelley Pernot doesn’t stop at the first consultation – she helps guide you from start to finish. Excelling Into The Finale You’ve made it! You’ve reached your career goal! You have walked through your career change process and seen your goals, now’s time to enjoy your new career. In some cases, a new career can change your life completely. Shelley will help you win! Your Future Begins Today! If you are in search for a career change coach in Austin, look no further than Shelley Pernot from True North Life Coach. Shelley’s new book, Running on Empty, The Irreverent Guru’s Guide to Mindfulness, is a great representation of how she performs her career coaching and works with clients. Click this link to download your free copy of chapter two to get a glimpse for yourself. Contact Shelley today by filling out this contact form to schedule your free 30-minute consultation. Your future is knocking at the door!

A few days ago, I decided to heed the age old adage of “practice what you preach” where it pertains to mindfulness and facebook.  Mobile phones are a topic I often discuss when facilitating programmes on Mindfulness, as they are often an unconscious culprit of mindlessness.  Don’t believe me?  Just think about how many folks you’ve noticed recently walking and tripping while trying to read their phone at the same time. I recently read an article on how quitting facebook can make a person happier, published by the happiness research institute.  You can find a link to it here by the way: Happiness Institute Study And while not ready to go completely full hog by deleting it off every device I own, I decided to start small and just delete it from my phone.  (I do have a business after all and social media is part of my marketing strategy.) I Deleted Facebook Off My Phone. Here is What Happened: 1) The number of times I check my phone per day drastically reduced.  I mean drastically — by 66% to be precise!  How do I know this?  The savvy mindfulness practitioner that I am I downloaded for free a few weeks back an app called “checky” that calculates the number of times I check my phone per day. I was absolutely gob smacked at the difference. The number of times I check my phone on an average day pre-deletion was 60.  Post deletion it was 20.  No longer am I pulling my phone out at stoplights to check the latest facebook news…my happy Austin, Texas motorists should feel much, much safer now. 2) My efficiency has gone up.  Which is a direct result of #1 because I’m checking facebook less often during the day which was often a time suck.  Just think about it, how many times have you pulled out your phone when you’re looking for a little distraction during a work day?  Now I’m actually challenged to find something to do if I feel bored, rather than hop on facebook. 3) And this is probably the most important point:  I feel much, much calmer.  More grounded, similar to the feeling I have after I’ve done 10-15 minutes of meditation in the morning.  I had no idea the amount of anxiety that facebook was actually causing me by looking at it frequent times during the day.  Facebook, our modern day equivalent of keeping up with the Jones, is taxing.  It’s a constant reminder that we need to be doing more, being more, posting more.  Otherwise, your business will fail, no one will know what you’re up to, your friends will all forget you, your life will end…yadda yadda yadda. The Facebook Phone Challenge: Be More Productive I challenge you to try it for just one week and let me know what you think.  Seriously, what do you have to lose? You could be more productive, more mindful, and more calm. What would you lose? Seeing the most popular memes of

What Is Your Purpose? Do you have trouble answering that question? Are you unsure of what you should be working toward everyday, your drive to do your best? Do you struggle to find motivation because your goals are undefined and unclear? Shelley Pernot, your local Life Coach in Austin, is here to help. It’s Easy To Start Your Journey With a Life Coach Life Coaching doesn’t have to be a difficult or a confusing process to start. Shelley has been trained on helping clients feel at ease from beginning to end, guiding them to find their purpose. She knows that life coaching isn’t textbook-driven or a data heavy process, it’s a skill that requires a personalized scope of action and a motivation to support you however you need.   Prioritization Is Key Everyone knows that life can sometimes be overwhelming, but you can tackle everything if you cross out the to-do list one by one. During your life coach sessions with Shelley, she will walk you through the process of prioritizing. She will help you understand what tasks are most important to you specifically and which tasks should follow. We often find ourselves buried in questions unsure of how to dive into the obstacles at hand; with Shelley’s help, you can navigate optimistically. No problem is too big. Everything Falls Into Place When you have an understanding of what you need to do in order to thrive, you can succeed. When you know who you are and how to make yourself happy, you can find the type of happiness you deserve. When you have a grasp on why you struggle to find purpose, you will know how to take the right kind of action to set you free. Once you are conscious, everything falls into place.   Are You Ready To Hire Your Life Coach? Shelley Pernot has dedicated her career to discovering and understanding the ways to optimize your life and helping others find their purpose. To get a glimpse into her methods, follow this link to download your free copy of chapter two of her book, Running on Empty, The Irreverent Guru’s Guide to Filling up with Mindfulness. If you are ready to see for yourself how a life coach can help you take control of your life again, schedule your free 30-minute consultation with Shelley today by filling out this contact form. The best time of your life is knocking at your door, don’t wait any longer.

Never Settle for Less Than What You Deserve Do you sometimes feel like you’ve settled for less than you deserve or less than you hoped for? Do you try everything possible to “make the best of the situation” and just hope the situation fixes itself over time? This is unlikely going to happen because making changes like this take time and effort, but you don’t have to do it alone. You can hire a life coach to be your guiding light.  Teamwork Really Can Make the Dream Work Happiness comes in all shapes and sizes, but at times it can be hard to find if you are experiencing loneliness in various aspects of your life. Even when you’re surrounded by your loving family and energetic kids or your supportive boss and friendly co-workers, you could still feel like a party of one. The old saying “teamwork makes the dream work” is absolutely true when it comes to living your best life. Sometimes a coach is all you need to give you that extra pep talk on improving your daily routine. With me, Shelley Pernot, as your life coach, you will never be alone. Not Just Today, Every Day When you hire me as your life coach, our partnership doesn’t end after your first session; I’m here for you every step of the way. You know as well as I do, changes take time and we will take action on every aspect of your life you are looking to improve. We will create realistic goals and milestones along the way. We will work together to empower you to be the best you can be. Take Back Your Life with A Life Coach Our parents, teachers and mentors tell us we should make the most of every day, but the “how” can only be discovered by you. We spend our whole lives trying to be our happiest and to lead a fulfilling life, but sometimes we can lose track and go astray. We buy a new car, we get a new job, we go on an extravagant vacation, along with many other things that we think can make us happy. More often than not, tangible things like these aren’t what will make us happy in the long run; it’s those intangible mindsets and enhanced personal perceptions that will stick with us down the road. You can look to a life coach to guide you in figuring these things out, we specialize in finding those inherent passions.     Today Is the Day. Contact Shelley To Get Started! If you are trying to find your happiness again, life coaching could take you there. Shelley Pernot has spent her career working with people helping to turn their lives around – you could be next. If you are interested in learning more about Shelley’s coaching methods, click this link to download your free copy of chapter two of her new book, Running on Empty, The Irreverent Guru’s Guide to Filling Up with Mindfulness. She is also

Have you ever felt stuck in your career? You’re certainly not alone. Over the years, Shelley Pernot of True North Life Coaching has spoken to numerous people who feel this way. It doesn’t make you weak or a quitter. On the contrary, it means you are yearning to go and do something for which you have a passion! Career Change Coaching in Austin Can Help Shelley Pernot is a yoga practitioner, small-business owner, and former corporate executive with a number of academic degrees. To say she understands changing directions in her career would be an understatement. She realized at some point in her professional career that she no longer felt fulfilled by the work she was doing. If you feel stuck, you might need to make a similar change. A career change coach in Austin, like Shelley Pernot, can help. You likely already know that some sort of change is needed if you’re reading this. However, you may be experiencing some trepidation or hesitation because of the magnitude of such a decision. That’s completely understandable, but you shouldn’t let it scare you away from making the decision that needs to be made. Find Your Passion Do you know what makes you tick and fires you up? Career change coaching in Austin can help you to find the career you want to pursue and make the switch. It’s also worth taking the time to give this intentional thought, before it’s too late. Too many people work decades at a job they hate, all the while considering whether they should seek out a different opportunity. Follow A Plan Make a plan with a career change coach like Shelley Pernot, and follow it. There are certainly many people who want to, but few of them ever actually carry out their plan. There’s no reason to wait any longer! A career change coach in Austin can help you. Contact Shelley Pernot If you feel stuck in your career or just think it might be time for a change of pace or scenery when it comes to your career, Shelley Pernot is happy to talk to you. In fact, if you are interested in career change coaching in Austin, she will offer a free 30-minute consultation! You can also download a free chapter of Shelley Pernot’s book Running On Empty: The Irreverent Guru’s Guide To Filling Up With Mindfulness here.