Personal Revolution with Allison Task

It is said that dogs come into your life to teach you about love, and leave your life to teach you about loss. We lost our cherished dog, Cleo, last month. In this podcast I talk through tools to processing traumatic loss in this unique time of great loss, and specific tools that have helped me and my family during this difficult time.

What kind of expectations did you set for 2020 pre-pandemic? Have you realigned those expectations based on the reality that 2020 presented? So many of us, well aware of the changes that 2020 required, continued on with expectations for a reality that was not to be, which led to disappointment after disappointment. Those who mourned, pivoted, realigned, and embraced a new reality found delightful and unexpected gifts in that shift. Continued attachment to expectations for a reality that doesn't exist leads to disappointment. In this episode I'll review tools for realigning expectations and shifting mindset in accordance with reality.

The house is sold, and we've moved our family of five from a 3000 square foot home to an apartment with less than 1000 square feet. In this podcast, I'll review what we've learned as we reduced the size of our home, reset our lives, in the hopes of reclaiming something more important.

In this episode I'll discuss the squishy middle of the move; you're neither here nor there, you're in transition. As a transition coach, I know this area well, as I help clients move from this place to that and so this time it's me in motion. I'll share what it's like to live in the middle, not know where you're going and how uncomfortable that can make people. I'll also share a bit about downsizing, giving and selling the majority of your thinks, and how having more things helps me value that which I keep so much more.

Earlier this summer my husband and I chose to move, specifically to downsize, during the pandemic. In this 3 part series I’ll review the choice to downsize (part 1), the transition (part 2) and the result, after the move is complete (part 3). Was it worth it? What’s it like when a transition coach moves her family of 5 from a 3000 square foot home to an 800 square foot apartment? I’m wondering myself!

This podcast is a listener request, where I answer: What is your morning routine? I share when and how I wake up, how I handle anxiety and nervous thoughts, prepare myself for the day ahead, and -- how I set myself up for success the night before.

In this podcast, I'll review the concept of "The Felt Sense", coined by Eugene Gendlin. It's the physical sensation we experience when we have a body response to an event. I review the felt sense as it relates to external and internal events, and share ideas for how to access / tune in to your felt sense.

Heavy stuff! In this episode you're going to get closer to understanding your reason for being? That's right. I'm nothing if not ambitious. In this bonus episode I explore the Japanese idea of Ikigai, iki (to leave) and gai (reason). I will use this Japanese philosophy to ask 4 keystone questions that help you gain clarity on your values, passions, gifts and possibilities. It's all very heady until you're pierced by the right question and start to get more clear. And more often than not, you've known it all along.

In this episode I share one key insight that is recurring with several of my clients. Right now, at this bizarro time in our world history, more clients than ever are finding the right job by co-creating their job with a potential employer. Successful job finders in my coaching practice are searching deep, determining what they have to offer and what they want to do, and co-creating a their next employer is listening, and collaborating from the start. What's better than that? Let's explore the idea of professional interdependence and how important that is to a successful job find.

My husband and I are swapping responsibilities this year. He is taking over a majority of our home and child care (which is no small thing during a pandemic), while I'm taking over earning for the year. It's powerful; I'm filled with gratitude for what he's doing, because I'm intimately aware of how hard it is. In this episode, I'll help you take a moment to contemplate the people in your life who take great care to make your life what it is -- people who love you in their actions that you might not be aware of. And last, we'll visit a twenty year younger version of yourself, share a preview of the life you'll build together, and engage in some deep self-gratitude.

Now that so many of us are working from home for the forseeable, many of my clients are having a hard time managing their time effectively. I believe that a strong structure gives my clients the ultimate gift: more freedom. Yes, if you commit to the structure, you'll get your work done and have the freedom to do whatever else you like. And with that freedom, you have the white space needed to develop creativity. My clients are often looking for ways to enhance creativity, so that they can engage in better problem solving. Structure yields to freedom which ultimately yields to creativity. In this episode I share some methods for creating a structure, including the pomodoro method.

In this episode, I share my thoughts on perfection (spoiler alert: it's a fraud!). For me, perfection as the thief of creativity, joy and ease. I was in danger of going down the perfection trap for most of my life until...well listen to the episode and you'll hear how I took a detour. Now I'm a believer in the 80/20 rule, "bend but don't break", and think that the best way to travel is without a plan. By yielding to the uncertain (whenever we can) we allow for more discovery, more serendipity, more no-expectation living.

As I embrace the idea of another year of the pandemic, I'm ready to level up, and invite in even more change. The thing about doing a hard thing is that you now know you can do it. I invite you to take control in this ambiguity and consider a life change that you can initiate (in addition to the changes you have to make). You know there are things you've been tolerating. Use the upheaval of the pandemic to make the changes you have been wanting to make in your own life. Drop the rock, prune the tree, take this opportunity to intentionally change your story.

Based on this article from the Greater Good Science Center, I review seven methods for managing our minds as we enter month 6 of pandemic precautions. Also, I take a few moments to review (and reject) a recent non-apology from an enneagram expert.

In this bonus episode, I'll explore two coaching concepts: control and mastery. While we are in a global pandemic, and so much seems out of your control, it's vital to focus on that which you can control. Have a listen, I'll show you how. Also, I'll take a deeper dive into the concept of mastery, and share tools that you can use to achieve mastery in an area that is of value to you. Pursuing astery puts you in flow state and leaves you with a powerful sense of competence and accomplishment.

My belief is that we're in the former. What do you think? And if the normal situation is all fucked up, what can you do to shift it? Let's take a look at what you've been tolerating and what parts of your life you can reinvent. If we're in the not-normal (not the new normal, mind you) what changes can you put in place to take advantage of this moment. What have you been tolerating? For me, I'm thinking about selling my house and giving my kids a gap year for 1st and 2nd grade. How 'bout you?

You did it! You have achieved your goal. In this episode, you will identify what you’ve achieved and celebrate it. You'll share the win with those who’ve helped you and those who will shep nachas with you. You'll learn about the the positive impact that acknowledging and celebrating your goal will have on you, those around you, and the next goal you set. And before you get started on the next goal, I’ll revue the value of a well-deserved rest. Let's celebrate, rest (and repeat).

At this point, you’ve arrived at a “9” on your “How close am I to achieving this Goal” scale. You are close enough to see it. In this episode, you will acknowledge what you’ve done to get here, create a strategy to take this one over the finish line with a smile on your face, connect with why this goal matters to you, and authentically deliver your final actions.

In this bonus episode we'll talk about the benefits of storytelling. As in the story you tell yourself about your life. I'll share some tools that you can use to create a greater sense of meaning in your life *especially* when you're experiencing difficulty (as we all are right now, during the pandemic). Using one of the four pillars of meaning from Emily Esfahani Smith's book, The Power of Meaning, we focus on storytelling as a way to find redemption in a difficult time.

If last episode created insights for the final drive toward your goal, this episode will help you take action. These are tools that you can use -- right now, to drive closer toward your goal. This is the penultimate coaching episode. Your next chapter, “Closing the Deal,” will take you the final mile toward Goal achievement, and the last chapter will help you tie it up with a bow, and recognize your achievement. You may live between episodes 7 and 8 for a little bit, until you're just that final step away from goal achievement. This is a meaty one, let's get into it!

Yep. It's on. And it's not going to be like any summer you've seen before. In this episode I share two tools to plan your pandemic summer; John Doerr's OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) and my very own Whole Life Model (see Episode 3 of Personal (R)evolution for the extended dance mix on the WLM).The pandemic summer is upon us; so let's prioritize what's important for you this summer. And if you're in need; I'm always here for an online life coaching session. Thanks for listening!

You’re more than halfway through the podcast course at this point, and my expectation is that you're in the final half of goal pursuit. You have established SMART goal with your Whole Life in mind. You have a happiness practice and you've identified the network you have -- and want to build -- to achieve your goal. Now it's time to take large strides toward your goal. To do that, in this episode I will introduce the following concepts that will help you drive toward insight and move toward your goal. They include: The Pygmalion Effect / Scarcity and Abundance Mindsets / Heuristic and Algorithmic Work styles / The Prerequisites to Flow State / Self-Compassion / The Disney Model.

In this moment when we're all struggling with crisis, trauma and grief; I wanted to share a concept called ring theory. Created by Susan Silk and Barry Goldman, ring theory is a very simple concept that you can use to comfort others who are struggling. It's immediately accessible and applicable; within less than ten minutes I'll explain it and you'll be able to put it to use to help others (or use it as a primer so that others can support you). Have a listen.

In the previous episode, you connected with some wonderful old friends and feel great about it. See, networking isn't that icky! In this chapter, I'll introduce you to a yiddish framework (you read that right) and philosophy of connecting and introducing as a mitzvah. You will begin to pursue people you don’t know (yet) that will help you achieve your goal. I’ll help you with your elevator pitch and key talking points about what you want and what you have to offer. Let's do this.

Coaches are professional question askers. During the pandemic, we have a lot of questions that we can't answer. And a lot of time with the people we love the most. In this podcast, I will show you how I structure an open-ended question to improve problem solving and creativity. I will share a couple of my favorite go-to question-asking-tools so that you deepen your connections in this moment. Join me! Let's get deep and meaningful together.

Now that you’re feeling happy, it’s time to reach out and share your big goal with those you love. This episode will help you connect with a group that we tend to forget about: the people we already know and love (and who love us back). This group is a key part of the network that will propel you toward achieving your goal. This chapter will give you specific, inspiring tools to reach out to those we love (and may have lost touch with) and share yourself and your goal.

Before I was a coach, I hosted cooking shows on TV and wrote cookbooks. My goal was to help home cooks have more fun in the kitchen. Since so many of us are cooking with more frequency now, due to self-quarantine, I wanted to share one of my tastiest and easiest family-friendly recipes. I hope you enjoy this break from the action items and try a different kind of milestone -- cooking something new.

If I had to pick just one episode from this podcast course that could change your life, it’s this one. Before you get down to business moving toward your ambitious goal, I want to help you get into an optimal goal-pursuing frame of mind. This chapter shares research in the growing field of happiness and gives you practical tools and exercises that you can practice today to become, well...happier!My hope is that with these tools, you'll be able to recognize the assets you already have, see possibilities you didn't see before. You'll see that the future you want can and will become reality.When you get happier, you'll become more creative. And creativity is a critical tool for doing this thing you want to do.Come on, (let's) get happy. And yes, that is a Partridge Family reference. Sing it with me now (singing does wonders for happiness).

Right now, you may be experiencing strong emotions -- ranging from excruciating grief to jaw-dropping gratitude. We're holding on to the seat of the emotional roller coaster while we taking that zooming up-and-down ride.And yet, there are actions we can take to control our brains and what we think about. It's important to give yourself a chance to grieve, and when you are ready, I've shared (thanks to Arthur Brooks) the four key areas to leverage to significantly increase your happiness and contentment.

Now that you’ve set a SMART Goal, started visualizing what your future life will be like as you move toward your Goal, and begun taking Actions toward it, it’s time to take a look at your life today. In this chapter, you’re going to delve deeper into all the areas of your life with a tool called the Whole Life Model. By looking at the ten key areas of your life, you will have a more in-depth, personalized context to examine what assets you have—including some you may not have realized. This is the time to pressure test the foundation of your life. Before building an extension on your house, you’d want to make sure the house can handle the extra weight. In the Whole Life Model, you’re going to push on the things that hold you together. If your Goal is to have a baby and your marriage isn’t strong, let’s work on that. If you’re working toward a promotion at your health care company and can’t stop thinking about your dream of becoming a minister, well, let’s address that dream. Download the Episode 3 worksheet before you begin -- the Prep Sheet will help you review the Actions you planned to take last time; how did it go? And the middle of the worksheet will help you keep track of all the questions in the reflection and action stop points. Take the time to capture your Insights and Actions as well -- if not immediately after you listen to the podcast within 48 hours. Go on now, I can't wait to hear where this takes you. I'm reading the community feedback so please -- jump in there and let me know how you're doing. Let's do this.

We are one month into the global pandemic. We can't un-see or un-know the crisis we are having; there is no return to normal. We will be forever impacted, forever changed. So let us collectively grieve the loss. Using Elisabeth Kubler-Ross' Five Stages of Grief and David Kessler's sixth stage of meaning, let's revisit this framework to process where we are.

I live just outside New York City, I'm in ground zero of the COVID-19 pandemic. And as a coach, let me be the last person to push you toward aggressive goal setting right now. Intead, let's reset your baseline. In this bonus episode, I can help you reevaluate where you are and what you need in this time. It's an important listen.

Welcome to Personal (R)evolution, the podcast course that will help you be happy, change your life, and do that thing you always wanted to do. Really. As a career and life coach I help people make major changes in their lives, and this podcast course will help you DIY your change based on proven techniques I've used with thousands of clients over the last fifteen years. In this episode, you'll learn a bit more about coaching, how and why it works, and what we're going to do together in this podcast course. I'll share a bit more about my background (TV! Glamour! And lots of diapers...), and what you're going to learn in this podcast course. C'mon, have a listen. Let's get you going where you want to go.

In Personal (R)evolution, best-selling author and life coach Allison Task helps you take control of your life. This FREE 3-month podcast course along with bonus episodes every Thursday will help you create a clear vision for what you want out of life, remove the blocks that are holding you back, and develop a detailed action plan that will take you from where you are to where you want to be. You can find the course anywhere you listen to podcasts, but make sure to subscribe to Personal (R)evolution Premium on the Himalaya app to get a personal workbook, exclusive content, and access to a community of other change-makers working toward their goals with positivity, possibility, and momentum. If you're ready to go after a better life, you are ready for Personal (R)evolution. Download the Himalaya app, search Personal Revolution, and use promo code REVOLUTION at check out for your first month, free!