Flaks Seeds

There are times when words of wisdom arise in coaching sessions and clients sometimes ask me to repeat something, e-mail it, or even (God bless them) to publish some of our remarks. So I have and, thanks to another client, we’ve named them “Flaks-seeds.” Please know I’d be flattered if you were to find them useful for any of your writing or speaking endeavors. All I ask is that you credit the contributor by name (and in print please include www.jfcoach.com as the source.) Enjoy!

If you like these kinds of quotations, also visit “Famous Wise Remarks” - inspiring words from brilliant minds of all eras.

Thank you.

"All aphorisms and all timeless quotations are almost always absolutely accurate some of the time." 11/2007

"The opposite of confidence is courage... Confidence is BELEIVING you CAN do what you are WILLING to do. Courage is WILLING to do what you BELIEVE you CAN'T do! ... The most interesting thing about these two is that the more you act with courage, which takes energy, the more you build confidence, which IS energy. Then later, you need less courage ()energy) to cross a similar frontier!"
- Jonathan Flaks 2003 - 2005

"Celebrating one accomplishment gives you a head-start on the next." - Lincoln Duffy, 1/2003

"Sometimes, when we are more successful than we are used to, even if it is very exciting, it can be UNCOMFORTABLE! It is like an "itchy suit" rubbing against your old habit of believing in limitations. Sometimes as soon as it is on, you may find yourself wanting to tear it off! For some, this "itchy suit" of unrecognizable success is too uncomfortable and unconsciously they are driven to avoid it! (perhaps you?) With good 'long underwear' - plenty of creativity, support and faith, you can invent solutions in any situation and achieve limitless success." - Jonathan Flaks 10/2004

The Power of Feeling Icky!!!
There are things we avoid doing and situations that we avoid, perhaps even people,
because we are uncomfortable for whatever psychological reason. SOME of those
situations are very worth diving into and feeling icky about as they will forward our
most meaningful intentions. JF - 2005

The 1 minute 45 second principle:
Have you ever noticed that many of the activities we procrastinate are only difficult to get started, and once we get started, we get on a roll. A good way of thinking about this metaphorically is the
lake, pond or swimming pool that we were afraid to jump into because at first the water is too cold and uncomfortable.....but we muster up courage and ..Yiiiiiii!... JUMP IN...
Once we're in and we move our arms and legs around a bit, the feeling is delightful and we
can swim around freely, laugh and play and be our best.

"Do the thing you fear the most today. Tonight it will be your greatest victory and tomorrow it will become your greatest asset."

Here I am , warts and all.
Gandhi transformed a nation -
- he lacked fashion sense and wasn't very tall.
Bill Gates is the leader of one of the most powerful companies in the world
- he is a nerd.
Neil Young sold millions of records as a singer songwriter
- he can't sing.
Do what you CAN do.

Enhanced Serenity Prayer: God (*or whatever you believe in), grant me the serenity to accept... indeed to EMBRACE (find some way to really enjoy) the things I cannot change, the courage, and the ENERGY,CREATIVITY AND RESOURCEFULNESS to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference and prioritize. - Jonathan Flaks 10/2004

"Beware of fear of success - Sometimes when people fall behind, they beat themselves up, and sometimes when people get ahead, they beat themselves down!" Jonathan Flaks 12/2004

One of the reasons things don't change is that
people don't gravitate toward make changes.
- Jonathan Flaks 12/2004

Helpful hint in predicting human behavior:
There is only so much annoyance a person can stand, AND
there is only so much euphoria a person can handle!
- Jonathan Flaks - 1/2005

"Old Habits die hard, but they fall flat in the face of passion and commitment."
- Jonathan Flaks 7/2003

"Suffering is what we get when we think of pain as an unbearable, uncomfortable circumstance instead of a sensation of valuable energy. Looking at pain as informative energy is a way to release suffering immediately." - Jonathan Flaks - 11/2003

"Gremlins make great pet's but lousy partners... ...Fear and worry are occasionally useful watchdogs pointing to some real danger, but MORE OFTEN it's like a watchdog barking ferociously at the harmless mailman. You choose." " - Jonathan Flaks 5/2003.

" When you ask yourself, "How am I going to ...?" ... notice how you are actually expressing despair and focusing on obstacles. When you notice that feeling, ask the question again, but emphasize the word...HOW and really explore with great intention the discovery of creative, constructive answers within yourself and in conversations with others."
- Jonathan Flaks – 11/2003

"Emotional and environmental preparation for a task or challenge is worth as much as informational preparation. Consider the metaphor of paining a room. The paint is the information, but if you spend a good amount of time covering the furniture and taping the window frames slowly and thoroughly, the paint job will go MUCH faster, with few interruptions, less aggravation and better results."
- Jonathan Flaks – 10/2003

"Bad Moods are temporary, fleeting and potentially a source of amusement."
- Jonathan Flaks – 3/2003

"At the end of the day you will only have done what you did."
- Jonathan Flaks 11/2002

"Every great nest was built one twig at a time."
- Jonathan Flaks 5/2003

"The dark veil of uncertainty can also be a warm blanket of creativity."
- Jonathan Flaks – 9/2001

"There is no such thing as failure – only attempts, successful attempts, unsuccessful attempts, more attempts and then either success or quitting. Don’t bang your head against a wall that isn’t working or worth it. However, for everything else you are committed to, remember that if you never give up, you can’t fail!"
- Jonathan Flaks 5/2001

"I hate doing dishes. But I don’t mind being a great husband, putting on the best rubber gloves that money can buy, and playing Beat-the-Clock by doing a 10 minute sinful in 8 minutes or less."
- Jonathan Flaks 1/2000

"Timing isn't everything - but it might as well be." – Rich Meitin – 11/2001

"I am SO glad I don't have what I THOUGHT I wanted!" - Jonathan Flaks 1/2005