M.J. Ryan
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Change Expert MJ Ryan - Learn the secrets to taking any change in stride. Expert
M.J. Ryan Quick Facts
- Main Areas
- change, happiness, gratitude, patience
- Best Sellers
- Random Acts of Kindness, Attitudes of Gratitude, The Power of Patience, The Happiness Makeover, This Year I Will...
- Career Focus
- author, speaker and executive coach
- Affiliation
- Professional Thinking Partners, International Coaching Federation
About MJ
A member of Professional Thinking Partners who is recognized as a leadingexpert in change, M.J. Ryan specializes in coaching high performanceexecutives, entrepreneurs, individuals, and leadership teams around the worldto maximize performance and fulfillment. Her clients include Microsoft, RoyalDutch Shell, Chevron, Hewitt Associates, and Frito Lay. Her work is based on acombination of positive psychology, strengths-based coaching, the wisdomtraditions, and cutting edge brain research. Her new book, titled“AdaptAbility: How to Survive Change You Didn't Ask For” was recently releasedpublished by Random House’s Broadway Books. She lives in the SanFrancisco Bay Area with her husband and daughter.
www.MJ-Ryan.com
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M.J. Ryan Books
Articles by this expert
SelfGrowth articles and saved writing connected to this expert.
Article
Who Are You Becoming?
There is a story from the Talmud that goes like this: When Akiba was on his deathbed, he bemoaned to his rabbi that he felt he was a failure. His rabbi moved closer and asked why, and Akiba confessed that he had not lived a life like Moses. The poor man began to cry, admitting that he feared God’s judgment. At this, his rabbi leaned into his ear and whispered gently, `God will not judge Akiba for not being Moses.
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Stuck? Put It on the Back Burner
Archimedes figured out how to determine how much gold there was in a crown while lying in the bath tub. While dozing by the fire, Friedrich August Kekule had a dream of snakes that allowed him to understand the structure of benzene. For both of these scientists, the answer came when they stopped “thinking” about the question and did something else. They put their problem on the back burner and suddenly the answer popped into their minds. Has something like this ever happen to you? You aren’t sure about something.
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Getting Rid of Those Pesky Inner Critics
Hundreds of books have been written about getting rid of these voices because we all know they don’t serve any useful purpose. Even if those who spoke to us originally in this way were trying to be helpful, at this point they exist only to torture us. But I don’t know a single person who has eliminated those voices by any of the techniques in such books. That’s because such messages are deeply entrenched in our psyches—they ain’t going nowhere. That doesn’t mean we have to be at their mercy, however.
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What Do you Want More Of?
Really. What do you want more of in your life? More peace? More time off? More fun? More inner tranquility? Unless we identify what it is that we truly want, we tend to be so caught up in daily life that we don't even think about what will make us truly happy. Today, ask yourself what you want more of in your life and then live with the question all day: How can I have more ______ in my life? Just ask; don't worry about an answer.
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What Do you Want More Of?
Really. What do you want more of in your life? More peace? More time off? More fun? More inner tranquility? Unless we identify what it is that we truly want, we tend to be so caught up in daily life that we don't even think about what will make us truly happy. Today, ask yourself what you want more of in your life and then live with the question all day: How can I have more ______ in my life? Just ask; don't worry about an answer.
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The Schoolroom of Love
One of the greatest inspirational writers of the 19th century was a man named Henry Drummond who wrote a best-selling little book called The Greatest Thing In the World. In it, he said, “The world is not a playground; it is a schoolroom. Life is not a holiday but an education. And the one ete al question for us all is how better can we love.” Learning and teaching in that schoolroom is what inspires me in my personal life and my work. For me, and I’ve learned for many of us, learning to love better begins with the self. Loving ourselves is no small thing.
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This is a SCARF You Don’t Want to Wear
I wrote last time about how our limbic systems are constantly on high alert, ready to activate the stress response at the sign of a threat. That’s a good thing when we’re in physical danger. But unfortunately it also can turn on in traffic jams, layoffs, arguments with our loved ones…you fill in your favorite stressor.
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Cultivate Your Witness Self
The other day I got a call from a reporter for a women’s magazine wondering if I knew of any new stress reduction ideas, “you know, beyond breathing and meditation.” It reminded me of our tendency in this culture to grasp for the novel and it even caused me to doubt whether to include this piece in the book.
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Cultivate Your Witness Self - Part 2
If I’ve inspired you in my last blog entry to give meditation a try, here’s a very basic form of mindfulness meditation, adapted from Vipassana Buddhism: Find a quiet place to sit in a chair or on the floor, with your eyes open or closed, whichever is most comfortable to you. Set a timer for the amount of time you plan to sit. Become aware of your breathing, focusing on the sensation of air moving in and out of your body as you breathe. When thoughts come up in your mind, whether worrying, planning, wishing, don't try to ignore or suppress them.
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Become a Life-Long Learner
My mother has been telling me she’s too old to change since she was 45; she’s now 85. In a way, she had the privilege of that position because she hasn’t had to support herself. Those of us out there making a living know how much the world is changing and how we must change to keep up, no matter what our age. I just read somewhere that the average American will have nine jobs by the time they’re 32. How many therefore by the time they’re 62? In his book Innovation and Entrepreneurship, management consultant Peter F.
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The Power of a Mantra
sung__mantra400jpgWhen I was a child, dealing with my particular configuration of a dysfunctional family, I remember lying awake in bed night after night, year after year, too afraid to go to sleep. There were some willow trees outside my window I used to watch. No matter how hard the wind blew, and how far they bent, they never broke. I took that image on as my personal courage mantra. For years, whenever things happened that upset me, I would say to myself, “I’m like the willow.
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Watch the Road, Not the Pot Holes
“The longer we dwell on our misfortunes, the greater is their power to harm us.” --Voltaire Lana Calloway is president of Exhibit Resources, a company that does design, construction, and installation of trade show exhibits. Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Lana and many of her clients were forced to cut staff. She notied that coordinating details for trade shows was overwhelming for many clients who had slashed their marketing budgets. So Lana’s company began offering turn-key trade show project management services and her business has since boomed.
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Websites & resources
SelfGrowth-published websites, downloads, and contributor profile websites connected to this expert.
Favorite Quotes & Thoughts from M.J. Ryan
There is nothing wrong with you. When we're stuck, we're justdisconnected from our own resources. I work with your strengths toovercome challenges.
Contacting M.J. Ryan
MJ Ryan
Professional Thinking Partners
Phone: 925.274.9311
Email: mjryan@mj-ryan.com
Website: www.mj-ryan.com
Twitter: twitter.com/maryjaneryan
Blog: maryjaneryan.wordpress.com
How to get started
Contact me at maryjaneryan@gmail.com