SuccessNRG Blog

Learning how to dance salsa is giving me valuable information and insight to share! On Wednesday, I cancelled my dance lesson due to some scheduling challenges. Later that evening, I went to a club that offers Latin dancing and my instructor was giving a mini lesson on the bachata. After the lesson, there was open dancing to various Latin music. I was standing on the sidelines watching others move to the music when my instructor came over , grabbed my hand and “escorted” me to the dance floor. I was so nervous dancing in front of other people! My mind was drawing a blank and I felt like my feet were stuck in one place. My instructor is an excellent lead, however. Once I settled into his rhythm and trusted him to move me on the dance floor, I began to enjoy myself. I still felt self-conscious, but I didn’t allow my anxiety to prevent me from doing something that I wanted to do.

Learning something new can take us out of our comfort zone. It can trigger fears and anxiety from past challenges. If we are fortunate, we find a “good lead” who can allow us the space to find our footing and our confidence in a new endeavor. If we are not so lucky, we can still establish our joy and our confidence by making a conscious decision to do so.

Stay tuned for more Life coaching salsa 101!

For the past two months, I have been taking salsa dance lessons.  Having been a musician, I can hear and feel the Latin beat. Trying to coordinate my arms and legs to tempo without smacking my partner with an elbow here and there has been challenging, however! I am enjoying it immensely, but the practice sometimes feels more like work than a leisure activity. Then there are those moments where my partner and I click and the steps and the music all fall into place.

Goals can sometimes make you question why you started them in the first place. It is those uncomfortable and maybe awkward moments that make you want to give up. Keep on pressing forward! Look back and see the progress you have made. And, most of all remember to enjoy the process!

 It is one of my goals this year to be a good salsa dancer and to have fun with it! I will keep you posted on my progress…keep me posted on yours!

Tamara

Woman of Mention

Tamara Vaughn

by Diana Donlon

Through adversity comes strength.

When life turns topsy-turvy, there is a pivotal point when one can choose to ultimately move forward from survive to thrive. Such is the theory of Life Coach and Attorney Tamara Vaughn.

As each one of us is faced with our life transitions, each one of us reacts and tackles our challenges differently.

Tamara has successfully re-defined the job of a Life Coach by combining her multitude of life challenges, survival tactics, and her legal knowledge. The outcome is a PowerShift Life Coaching™ strategy she has developed to help women of all ages and life situations.

Through Tamara’s Life Coaching methods women gain the tools to grow strong and become (and remain) independent with a sense of direction.

The fact that Tamara has lived through two hurricanes: Hurricane Andrew in 1992, (in which she lived without electricity for 4 1/2 months, and lost everything she owned,) and 13 years later; Charlie, makes Tamara a candidate for “Survival of the Fittest.” Like many Floridians who lived through one or both of these destructive hurricanes, Tamara stood in food and ice lines, relied on donations of clothes, and took two years to restructure her life.

“The day I was supposed to open my law office, August 24, 1992, Hurricane Andrew hit,” says Tamara. “Every challenge I have incurred has prepared me for the next.” These challenges have included: fully recovering from an eating disorder, being a full-time caretaker for her disabled father until his recent death, and a divorce.

“All of these challenges have given me the ability to empathize and sympathize with others, and to ultimately motivate them to move and grow through their challenges,” says Tamara.

As you “Let Yourself Shine” in your life, Women’s LifeStyle Magazine continues to offer you our Woman of Mention feature in 2008; to honor outstanding women in our community and to inspire and motivate you to be your best!

Read on…

Tamara’s Hometown:

Miami, Florida. I have lived in the Charlotte area since 2002.

What do you do?

I am an Attorney (since 1991) and a Life Coach (since 1997).

Define your job as a Life Coach.

I assist others in identifying, defining and achieving their goals in their personal and business life. I also assist people through their life transitions.

How does one utilize the services of a Life Coach?

Typically someone will use a Life Coach for three to six months, depending upon the individual. Then a maintenance program is set up and there typically is contact once every three to six months to touch base. The meeting frequency is different with each client. Some schedules are set to meet every two weeks, some once a month. A Life Coach holds one accountable for implementing tools and strategies set forth as discussed during each meeting.

As an Attorney, how did you become interested in becoming a Life Coach?

I found that as an attorney I needed to keep my clients in business. I found that many of them had no goals, no plan, and no structure as to where they were going. As businesses start to fail, fear sets in, which causes a very destructive cycle.

I noticed that the same destructive cycle was happening with my clients after the death of a spouse, or when their kids moved out of the house and went to college, or after a divorce. I began helping my clients create a new life with a vision.

What is rewarding about your job?

I love seeing the change in people! I love seeing people move forward in their lives and achieve their goals. The wonderful thing about my coaching is that one doesn’t have to have a goal of going to the Olympics! The idea is to improve your life as YOU want it to be improved, not as someone else wants it to be.

How do your services differ from that of other Life Coaches?

With my legal background I am my own consultant. I am a resource and depending upon what people need I can guide them to these resources. For instance, with “Kerri” I connected her to financial advisors and accountants. One main difference with my services is that I offer various crucial professional resources for people’s life transitions or changes.

I understand you are authoring a book soon to be released. Tell us about it.

PowerShift, Empowering Yourself through Life’s Challenges is a book based on eight tools that assist people in shifting their energy and power to their inner resources.

All of the tools I speak of in my book are the tools that I have used to maintain my life and sanity. The result is that I have ultimately moved forward from survive to thrive. My book is to be released in April of 2008

The idea of writing PowerShift, Empowering Yourself through Life’s Challenges is to put myself out there — because I’ve been through it. I truly believe that if you’ve been through it you have the responsibility of lighting the way for others.

What inspires you?

My faith. I couldn’t have gotten through my life’s challenges without it. (Laughs) I came in on the advanced plan!

What do you do with your “off” time?

I spend time with my horses, whether I am riding or grooming. My horses have always been the one thing that God has used to speak to me, inspire me, and give me the determination to move on. I hesitate to mention the fact that my former husband told me that if I brought another horse home he would walk out on me. Guess who is here?

Tell us something others may not know about you.

I have an avid fear of frogs. My prince is just going to have to come from somewhere else!

What advice do you have for women who are striving to shine?

First and foremost, you really have to learn to like yourself… and to love yourself. Accept yourself right now for who you are. Surround yourself with people who will lift you to those higher places.

What three words describe you?

Creative. Passionate. Joy-filled.

Tamara Vaughn will be speaking on the Main Stage of Women’s LifeStyle EXPO, February 16, 2008 at 10:45 a.m. (See page 31 for Women’s LifeStyle EXPO details.)

To contact Tamara Vaughn, call 941-815-8551, E-mail: tamara@successNRG.com or visit www.successNRG.com

Posted OR Reprinted with permission from Women’s LifeStyle magazine. (copyright) 2008 Women’s LifeStyle magazine.

I read a New year’s message from the Dalai Lama entitled,  ”Instructions for Life” that I wanted to share. The first thing on the list was “take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk”.  Going for your goals, manifesting your dreams and bringing love into your life all involve putting yourself “out there”. Many times we may hold back and miss out on the opportunities because we fear the pain of loss or rejection. Are we going to fail once in a while on the way to a dream or be rejected in relationships? Probably so.  Will it cause pain? That depends on how you choose to look at it. There is a lesson in every “failure”and what we may perceive as failure and pain may open us up to even greater goals and opportunities.

I read an interview, and although I do not recall the name of the person being interviewed, I remember what she said. “If I had it to do over again, I would raise my hand higher, I would be bigger and I would get more outrageous.”

This year I intend to Accept the  challenge, Take the risks, Get Bigger and become more Outrageous. What is holding you back?

The New Year is approaching and soon we will be ringing in 2008. This is the time of year where I reflect on the gifts and the lessons of the previous year. There is as much to learn from the losses and defeats as there is from the accomplishments and successes. Too many times in this “year end accounting”, the focus is on the negative aspect of what didn’t work out or the effects of an unanticipated challenge that interfered with goals and dreams. Growth is an important part of achieving goals and living on purpose. Often times it does not come in those “feel good” moments, but rather in a level of stress and discomfort. I will be posting my hopes and dreams for the New Year and the goals that I want to manifest in my life in 2008. I will share the successes and the challenges with you throughout the year. I invite you to do the same.This page will be a forum for celebration and encouragement as we Shift the Power in 2008!