Archive for category spirituality and business
Resources for Life – Life map
Posted by Volker in cb consulting, coaching, personal, spirituality and business on 26/02/2009
As a coach for personal development I am very interested in all sorts of theories. In the recent issue of the Saturday Financial Times I found an article about the perfect small home and this guy in Iowa who lives in a very small trailer.
However, looking through the website I found a life map which got my attention. It plans out what your focus in life is an why and how….. – really it is a “wheel of life”.
The “normal wheel of life”, used by most coaches looks like that:

It examines certain areas of your life and analyses where you are happy with, e.g. in this example from Dave where the family part of the wheel is almost 100% in terms of achievement and happiness, whilst the money part still needs development. Anyhow, the wheel of life focuses on: career, money, health, partner, family, friends, learning and environment. You can add or remove categories, e.g. if you study “studying” or if you do a lot of sports it could be “basketball” for instance additional to health.
Now, the other wheel I found at the Resources for life, has very similar categories: Lifeways, Health, Career, Finance, Relationship, Activism and Effectiveness. I like that split.
The reason for that is the way it starts with Lifeways and the determination about your belief system. Like me being a Buddhist. It then takes you on to health and career as well as finance like the “normal coaching wheel”. However, it then splits more into relationship in general, taking into consideration the relationship in general, e.g. family and partnership.
I find the category of “activism” very interesting: Something you would die for, something you are passionate about. Exactly, how many people just live and don’t know what they really like? What they want? What makes them tick? Wow, how can we go ahead and become passionate about something. What gets you up in the morning and gets you going? What is your biggest achievement today. How can you change things today to make a better tomorrow? That is great stuff!
Effective Living is the last category. Reminds me of Buddhism in terms of letting go of material value. How can you achieve more with less?
I am sure you come across more different life maps and wheels. And, giving our lives, each wheel will be different and every map and category means something different for everyone. However, it is good to take some time, sit down and draw your own map. And, think about the passion and your life style. Anything you can improve? It is not all about finance and career. Or, can you integrate your activism and effective living into the career and finance category? Get what they call a holistic living system.
Whilst the above example of a holistic life is about Gregory’s life and approach to a “small, simple, sustainable” life I would like to take the idea a bit further.
The holistic life approach and your areas of life that map out your life should really aim at your personal life. It should identify areas that are important to you, and most likely family/relationship, career and finance would be. However, holistic mans that you need to integrate all parts in the “full circle”. It is your life where each part is dependable from the other. Means you need to have a holistic view of your life.
Ask us today for some life coaching and goal setting.
cb consulting London
Posted by Volker in NLP, cb consulting, change management, coaching, creativity, customer service, family, philosophy, spirituality and business on 24/02/2009
I have been asked over the last few days, what cb consulting really is? What am I doing as a marketing and management consultant?
It is both a playing field for SEO and web design but also my first own company. I founded it not short of 2 years ago to start selling some of my services, e.g. performance coaching, life coaching, career coaching, trainings and seminars, to some friends and corporates.
However, at that time and even now, I am still working full time to earn my living that way. And, I do not really want to change that or give up the security of my day job.
cb consulting really is a good way of showing off my skills and offering them to the greater world. I have excelled in helping people achieving their dreams, dream jobs and personal goals.
Also, I am about to start my first online marketing consulting project – keep your fingers crossed. Combining the right tools to reach the objectives.
Coaching is not always the easiest thing to do. You don’t really want to tell people what to do but be there for guidance and helping them to identify their own goals. Only if the goal has been clarified you can lay out the path for them with the client playing the mayor part. There is no use of a coach outlining any steps to a client if the client does not know where they are going.
Sometimes clients get set-backs. Getting them back on their feet, visualising their goals and get them to re-focus is a great challenge. Only who has been down and got himself up again understand how to it is to be on the floor, not knowing what to do and where to go.
Particularly in the recession career coaching becomes very important. So tune in and let me know how I can help you today?
Refocusing?
Posted by Volker in cb consulting, personal, spirituality and business on 27/01/2009
I am very quiet at the moment, not really my way normally. Haven’t used twitter for a day and getting bored of Facebook too.
No, am not depressive, just the opposite. I tried explaining that a few months ago about going from one island to another. But my Buddhist friend who I write a blog with about Buddhism and Management said I should focus on settling down on one island and then explore that one. “You cannot be on the move all the time”. And, of course I am not. I am more than happy where I am but I have some thoughts about a new angle of personal development.
You remember about the Prince and the Magician? Exactly, the refocus, the idea of seeing things from a different angle. Not believing everything you see.
What is happening? To be honest – nothing has happened, I am still me and still happy where I am. But, I was thinking about more inner personal development, more about how to integrate Buddhism into my daily life and work. And, I am in the process of putting together a new theoretical approach to it. From Thursday I am planning to visit a new course that will last 6 weeks to see if new techniques will help to ease mind, body and spirit. Am very excited.
You can download my Island Theory on my personal development site of cb consulting. Have a peek if you see the truth in it and if it makes sense to you. Feel free to comment. Any feedback helps development!

My current ideas are around that theory. Based on a another theory that every 6 months you have a peak performance, or a non-peak performance respectively, I believe sitting on the island we can count on developing ourselves from within. Developing ourselves through refocus. Choosing a different way to work, a different path at night, a different way to spend time with your family or approaching your cats differently. You ever noticed the difference a difference can make?
By refocusing on what you are doing and how you are doing it, you will get out stronger, better and more focused. And, you will learn to appreciate moments new.
I believe it was a few weeks back that I read about someone who said: Volker, I noticed today on my way to work that there is a flower. And that flower smelled so nice. I just never smelled anything like that.
Although the flower has been there all along, it is the refocus and the way you appreciate your surroundings.
Off to another day. Very philosophical, I suppose.
Love and Kindness,
Volker
new website live
Posted by Volker in HR, Marketing, NLP, SEM, cb consulting, change management, customer service, motivation, perception, performance, spirituality and business, time management on 29/12/2008
Hello All,
My slightly revamped cb consulting website is live. What do you think?
Volker
Facing the Giants…
Posted by Volker in NLP, buddhism, change management, gtd, job, leadership, motivation, personal, spirituality and business on 09/11/2008
I finally watched the whole movie of facing the giants as described in my earlier post. It is a very motivational movie. However, I was surprised that is based around god and the love of god to make it a success.
With having lived in the US for a year a few years ago, I know how important Christianity is in the US and that it helps people to motivate. However, it does not matter which faith you are as long as you believe in something, and someone – yourself.
I am not a great believer in contemporary church but find my spiritual guidance through Buddhism. Latter helps me to stay focus, help others and be motivated in personal life as well as in corporate life.
What wonders me sometimes is that there seems to be this “YES WE CAN” attitude in the USA, the American Dream that just this week was supported by the first ethnic minority president to be in the world. A country that has this approach will always be more confident and be more successful.
In Germany where I grew up and I believe it is similar in most European countries, this attitude is not on the schedule for high school kids. It is more about “this is an American thing” and that is that.
Why are we not taking the positive attitude, the “can do approach” from our big brother and use it to make us more successful, more motivated and more focused in life and work. Without thinking that this is only done “elsewhere”.
I believe we need to incorporate the basic and underlying approach of this attitude in our daily lifes to motivate ourselves and to get where we want to be. No surprise that things like GTD, NLP, Turning Passion into profits are all coming from one country.
In my opinion most of those ideas are based around the basic attitude of reaching out for the stars and making things happen. And to have this vision of reaching things, not to show fear and stay focus. That is not rocket science, is it?
Compassion
Posted by Volker in cb consulting, peaceful warrior, personal, spirituality and business on 24/09/2008
Compassion – or carpe diem?
I am not sure what to write but Dan Millman who I am going to see tonight in London, posted this video on his blog. I though it is worthwhile sharing.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyGEEamz7ZM]
You find several entries on my blog about Dan Millman and the Peaceful Warrior.
I let you know how the seminar went.
Volker
Buddhist Thoughts
Posted by Volker in buddhism, cb consulting, family, personal, spirituality and business on 23/09/2008
Buddhist Thoughts for the 23rd of September:
A family is a place where minds come in contact with one another. If these minds love one another the home will be as beautiful as a flower garden. But if these minds get out of harmony with one another it is like a storm that plays havoc with the garden. – Buddha
Karma
Posted by Volker in buddhism, cb consulting, garden, house, personal, philosophy, spirituality and business on 31/08/2008
I had a lot of Buddhist and spiritual thoughts this weekend.
As you know I write another blog which is like an email exchange with a good friend: Balamadana.
Today I wrote in response to Marcelo about Karma.
There is not much happening today on a very slow, rainy Sunday. I was having diner and drinks with a good friend last night and we bought a new kettle today. But that is about as interesting as my weekend got. Besides I digged up half of the garden, so we are making progress.
Have a good “rest weekend”.
Volker
Time – Bank Holiday Weekend :-)
Posted by Volker in buddhism, cb consulting, change management, motivation, personal, spirituality and business on 22/08/2008
I have been quiet the last couple of days. Mainly because I have started to think about a lot of things.
Some are directly related to my work and life that for obvious reasons I would not like to share here
Nothing to worry about of course.
However, there are some other thoughts on life that I am more than happy to share, it is my conversation with Marcelo, my Buddhist friend and ex monk on our Buddhist and Management Blog. Maybe you have some input on our thoughts.
Also, as a frequent flyer I am concerned with the safety of flights after the Madrid accident. Unfortunately those things happen and one should probably not think about it. But, it also naggs on me for some reason.
So, I am taking this bank holiday weekend off from all obligations and will be back as normal next week.
Have a good one, Volker
I am more….
Posted by Volker in spirituality and business on 29/05/2008
…than I appear to be. All the world’s strength and power rests inside me.
I started a post on my blog on balamadana - all about the five mindfulness trainings….
Here is the first post: http://blog.balamadana.com/2008/05/i-am-more.html
















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