I just got off the phone with a friend and fellow board member of the network for tolerance (www.netzwerk-toleranz.de) whose story truly inspires me. Let me tell you why.

Jens is in his twenties and totally into social media, developing software, websites and apps. After a rough start, it took us a while to understand that – though our language and our approaches are different – we actually want the same.

Last year, Jens was accepted as stem cell donor. And it didn’t take long for the DKMS (German association for bone marrow donations) to call that he would be the perfect blood match for a severely ill person suffering from leukemia. Jens went through all the medical procedures including minor surgery; and he was pretty much impaired by the consequences.
When he shares this experience, though, he always focuses on how good it feels to help someone, realizing that you yourself are so much better off health-wise. He talks about his journey in some blog posts, which has led others to follow and register as donors, too. Good deeds are contagious.
Jens was so grateful for the support and encouragement that he utilized his capabilities and creativity again by initiating the project “Wiesbaden365”; through which he was able to remain close to his friends and fellow photographers and express what’s important to him. “Wiesbaden365” shows photos of his hometown from different perspectives every day, all year long. He donates revenues from this project for a good cause: the “Baerenherz”-foundation that supports children’s hospices. When he talked about his bone marrow donation and the project “Wiesbaden365” Jens sounded passionate, engaged and cheerful. And he said he was happy about them because it didn’t take much investment and in the end everyone won.

One of the effects of coaching is a shift in individuals’ energy – just like what Jens has achieved. Inspired Executives draws on the philosophy of positive psychology (amongst other philosophies, schools of thought or methodologies); coaching also focuses on what makes us feel happy or happier. Research on happiness suggests that the following five activities help creating lasting positive change:

  1. Three gratitudes. At the end of each day, find out what you are grateful for. It’s the small things that make a difference.
  2. Journaling. A pen and paper serve as a powerful tool to change your mind and your habits. Writing a few sentences every day helps you to better understand yourself and others.
  3. Exercise. Being physically active on a regular basis improves your chances of living longer and healthier; improves sleep; and relieves symptoms of depression and anxiety and improves your mood.
  4. Meditation. Focusing our attention and being aware when it drifts, improves our focus when we are not meditating. The more we meditate, the less anxiety we have. Meditation can inspire our creativity, increase empathy and compassion, improve rapid memory recall, and help perform under pressure while feeling less stressed.
  5. Random acts of kindness. Engaging in kind acts creates emotional warmth, enhances life satisfaction and self-realization; reduces depression and increases well-being.

If you feel that something is in your way to a happy and fulfilled life, take a look at what coaching with Inspired Executives can do for you and contact us.