NYC Life Coach, Julie Melillo

With the recent collapse of two Wall Street giants , speculation of doom seems to hang in the air especially here in New York City. Between gas prices, politics and financial crisis, it's amazing anyone seems to be able to get on with their day. And my clients are definitely feeling the strain, with the situation affecting their careers and pocketbooks. In spite of all of this, I want to point out something. Tragedy can be a time of great growth. Our lives, dreams and families don't have to be demolished -- they can instead take flight. That might sound crazy, and yes, you're right that Wall Street does affect Main Street -- all of our Main Streets. And yes, the economy is all linked together, etc, and it may trickle down. But that does not mean your life is ruined. It could even mean the opposite. Times of tragedy are times of change. There is nothing inherently wrong with change, but bringing in something new does always mean letting go of something. We associate lettin...

Does anyone remember those Choose Your Own Adventure books? You would read a section and then decide what action the character should take and flip to another page to see the result. To me, real life is like that too. In your life right now, your entire reality is made up of the choices you have made thus far. This -- right now -- is the end result of some decision you made a while ago. Some decisions five minutes ago, others from a year ago, others from when you were a kid. Yes, your beliefs will continue to influence your decisions And your decisions are often based on your beliefs about yourself and the world -- what you expect to happen is what you allow to happen. So really, you have total control: you can change your expectations, your thoughts, your beliefs AND your actions. You get to tell that character exactly what to do. So if you think of your life right now, there are some things that are happy and easy, and other things that are a never-ending struggle. Which things in y...

It's interesting how our living spaces reveal more than we think they do. Look around your room, your office, or any space you have control over. How is it organized? Or not organized? What would a stranger walking into your space think of you? Are you vibrant and alive? Are you passionate? Orderly? Planned out? Spontaneous? Look at your room and notice the objects you have chosen. Why did you chose that? What does it mean to you? Remember you can chose the objects to fill your room the same way you select what you place in your life -- your job, your relationships, your activities, your thoughts, your beliefs, your passions -- these are your selections. And they are choices you have control over. On a personal note, I remember when my living room was a disaster. It seemed each month it got worse and worse, and I didn't care to improve it. I let clutter and junk pile high, and I didn't respect or care for my possessions -- the fact was, it was a life I was done with. I was ...