At this time of the year, I pick a theme for the coming year.  My theme for 2011 was “It’s happening!“, and indeed a lot of things happened.  Most notably, I moved to Los Angeles to be with my husband!  Yay!

My theme colors the year with a mantra that guides me and inspires me.  This year especially, I noticed that some of you reminded me, on several occations, that “It’s happening!”   I can’t begin to describe how helpful that was.

My theme for 2012 is “Abundance“.  Make sure you tell me yours so that we remind each other when the time comes.  :-)  I look forward to hearing what your theme is!

Throughout the holiday season and in 2012 remember that you make your dreams come true!  I wish you health, wealth, love, peace and happiness.

Season’s Greetings!

Joyeux Noel!

Merry Christmas!

Happy Hanukkah!

Happy 2112!

Elle
xox

Peace and love,

Elle

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...S T E V E ' S....3 - M I N U T E....C O A C H I N G 
Steve Straus - Coach Subscribers: 1600+ Readers: 3200+ 20JUL11 
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Today's Topic - PRINCIPLE: Thinking 
(Principles are basic truths that, when applied, 
cause success to come to you easier and quicker.) 

"Outside the Box Thinking" is, and has been for way too 
long, a popular thought. The intent of the phrase seems 
to be to stimulate creative thought, that is, to let go 
of being constrained by what you have already learned, 
what you have already thought, and have new thoughts. 

The problem with the phrase Outside the Box Thinking 
(other than its cliched status prevents it from being 
heard, thus having no effect) is that the emphasis is 
on Box and, somehow, getting out of it. It's an inward 
focus which does little to expand creative thought. 
Focusing on Box promotes more awareness of Box. 

Consider a new phrase -- "Outside the Thinking Box" -- 
where the emphasis is on Outside. This new phrase 
stimulates (at least for a little while until it, too, 
becomes cliche-y) by provoking questions such as: 

'What's a Thinking Box?' 

'Can there be anything Outside of thinking?' 

'What does Outside look like?' 

A Thinking Box is a hemmed-in place. Outside is 
boundary-less. 

Inside a Thinking Box lives understanding. Outside 
lives knowing. 

Box is cut-off-from. Outside is connected. 

Box is safe. Outside can be unsettling (a perfect 
place for creativity!) 

Coaching Point: Do you regularly get Outside the 
Thinking Box? 

YOU ARE FREE TO FORWARD THIS. And Thanks! 
Copyright 2011 Steve Straus. All rights reserved. 
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 
To subscribe or unsubscribe, click here 
www.StrausUSA.com/subscribe.htm then enter your email address. 

Steve Straus 
A Coach for highly successful people -- since 1987 
195 Panorama Cir., Pottsboro, Texas 75076 USA 
903-786-4786 
http://www.StrausUSA.com

Peace and love,

Elle

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...S T E V E ' S....3 - M I N U T E....C O A C H I N G 
Steve Straus - Coach Subscribers: 1600+ Readers: 3200+ 22JUN11 
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Today's Topic - PRINCIPLE: Attachment (To a Time Frame) 
(Principles are basic truths that, when applied, 
cause success to come to you easier and quicker.) 

Attachment is a recurring theme in these S3MC's. 
You may want to visit the full on-line database of 
these weekly musings at 
http://www.straususa.com/scripts/selection.lasso 
and enter 'attachment' in the Subject box to see what 
has been published over the years. 

Most of them have referred to attachments to 'things' 
such as objects or outcomes. 

This S3MC is about attachment to timing, which is 
when you try to force an outcome to occur by a 
certain time. The key word here is force. 

If you are attached to a time-certain, you may be 
doing two things: 

First, you may be setting yourself up to be disappointed, 
if the outcome has a different timing. Intend the 
timing, don't try to force it; big difference. 

And second, you may be holding yourself separate 
from other resources which could help bring about 
the outcome. Remember the old quote attributed to 
Goethe [incorrectly so, but never mind, the idea's 
a good one], "...the moment one definitely commits 
oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of 
things occur to help one that would never otherwise 
have occurred." 

By letting go of When and simply focusing your 
intentions on What and Why, you allow additional 
resources to assist you in the proper time frame. 

Coaching Point: Does what you want really have to 
happen by....? 

YOU ARE FREE TO FORWARD THIS. And Thanks! 
Copyright 2011 Steve Straus. All rights reserved. 
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 
To subscribe or unsubscribe, click here 
www.StrausUSA.com/subscribe.htm then enter your email address. 

Steve Straus 
A Coach for highly successful people -- since 1987 
195 Panorama Cir., Pottsboro, Texas 75076 USA 
903-786-4786 
http://www.StrausUSA.com

Children are the greatest casualties of war.

Hi! I’m Elle de Champagne and I’m the producer/writer/director of BOY. This is a story that is extremely close to my heart.

Since an early age, I was traumatized by my father’s stories and childhood memories as a victim of war. He was one of the many child-victims that lived and witnessed so much atrocity.

Unfortunately, the stories continue to this day. According to UNICEF, in the past decade over 2,000,000 children have died as a direct result of armed conflict!

We have got to band together to bring an end to these atrocities.

There have been many inspiring people over the years who have been extremely outspoken against war and who have helped to transform the outlook of many.

Two in particular are Martin Luther King Jr. and Mother Teresa.

Mother Teresa once said that she would never participate in any anti-war demonstration but would always be willing to go to a pro-peace rally. What she meant was that…

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in order to end war you need to focus on creating peace.
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Similarly, Martin Luther King Jr. believed that…

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the only way to end hatred was with love.
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We need to stoke the fires that Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King Jr. and countless others have built and BOY will do this for us.

Boy is the inspiring story of an 8 year-old boy who gains the insight to bring peace to his world in spite of struggling to survive war and the wrath of a heartless soldier. This story inspires us all to take a step towards creating peace in our lives thus moving the world towards peace.

We need your help to produce this film. This will be our way to help to end the pain that MILLIONS of children suffer.

Here’s how YOU can help make a difference NOW!

(1) Make sure you ‘Like’ this page in order to raise the awareness of BOY. Together we can help BOY deliver it’s message…

IT’S TIME TO MAKE A GIANT LEAP TOWARDS PEACE.

(2) Be sure to sign-up for our mailing list on the left beside the BOY logo to keep up to date on the production of BOY and to keep stoking the fire of this project and it’s message (this is also available on the BOY website – see below).

(3) If you can, please make a donation to the production. Go to http://wwwindiegogo.com/boy.

Together we WILL make a difference.

Peace and love

ps – We invite you to find out more by visiting the BOY website at http://www.boy-themovie.com

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...S T E V E ' S....3 - M I N U T E....C O A C H I N G 
Steve Straus - Coach Subscribers: 1600+ Readers: 3200+ 01JUN11 
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Today's Topic - PRINCIPLE: Fail To Fit In 
(Principles are basic truths that, when applied, 
cause success to come to you easier and quicker.) 

When you just fit in, your passion dies a little. 

When you just fit in, we all lose the contribution you 
could have made. 

When you just fit in, you believe in your own truth a 
little less. 

Fitting in sucks. 

You fit in because you're afraid to stand up, stand out. 

You fit in because you've been conditioned to, by them, 
by the system. 

You fit in because you don't believe in you, you believe 
in them, in the system. 

Fitting in kills you a little. 

But don't fail to fit in just because it makes you unique. 
That's merely being needy for attention. That's using the 
outside, their reactions, to define you. 

Fail to fit in because it would be inauthentic for you to 
do anything else! That comes from a place so deep 
inside you that you may not have even seen it before. 

If "they" don't like it when you fail to fit in, you may be 
planted in the wrong place. 

We don't need you to fit in. We need you to inspire us. 
To show us what we're capable of, too. 


Coaching Point: Where, recently, have you failed to fit in? 




YOU ARE FREE TO FORWARD THIS. And Thanks! 
Copyright 2011 Steve Straus. All rights reserved. 
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 
To subscribe or unsubscribe, click here 
www.StrausUSA.com/subscribe.htm then enter your email address. 


Steve Straus 
A Coach for highly successful people -- since 1987 
195 Panorama Cir., Pottsboro, Texas 75076 USA 
903-786-4786 
http://www.StrausUSA.com 

Enjoy!

Peace and love ~ Elle

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...S T E V E ' S....3 - M I N U T E....C O A C H I N G 
Steve Straus - Coach Subscribers: 1600+ Readers: 3200+ 25MAY11 
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Today's Topic - DISTINCTION: Choose vs. Chase 
(Distinctions are subtleties of language that, when gotten, 
cause a shift in a belief, behavior, value or attitude.) 

[While this Distinction has particular application to 
sales and sales people, it has application for all types 
of relationships.] 

Imagine that you are selling a product or service and 
there are very few prospects for your offering. Because 
of this scarcity of potential buyers you market, send 
out sales literature in a variety of forms, initiate cold 
calls, track down suspects, and try to win over 
prospects into becoming customers. Whew. Tiring. 
This is what chasing is about. 

Now imagine that, for several reasons, every morning 
there is a line at your door of people eager to buy 
what you're selling. (Picture a hot new restaurant or 
a sports team in the playoffs.) You realize that 
because of this abundant demand you can't take on 
all of the business, you've got to say no to some of 
them. So you use a filter to sort out the best ones. 
Your filtering criteria -- profitability, ease, whether 
you like them, their ability to refer, etc. -- assists you 
in having the best potential buyers float to the top. 
Those you let buy from you. This is what choosing 
is all about. 

Few people in sales are clear that being in the 
choosing business is possible for them. They just 
assume that they have to chase. They think they 
have to sell to people instead of having people buy 
from them. When you're the purchaser which do 
you prefer, to be sold at or assisted to buy from? 
Buy from, of course. 

Why not study your market to find out what they 
are really passionate to buy, what will help them 
solve their problems or give them the opportunity 
of a lifetime? Find out what they want. 


Coaching Point: How much energy are you spending 
being a better chaser? Could you use some of it 
setting yourself up to be a chooser? 




YOU ARE FREE TO FORWARD THIS. And Thanks! 
Copyright 2011 Steve Straus. All rights reserved. 
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 
To subscribe or unsubscribe, click here 
www.StrausUSA.com/subscribe.htm then enter your email address. 


Steve Straus 
A Coach for highly successful people -- since 1987 
195 Panorama Cir., Pottsboro, Texas 75076 USA 
903-786-4786 
http://www.StrausUSA.com 

__________________________________________________________ 

...S T E V E ' S....3 - M I N U T E....C O A C H I N G 
Steve Straus - Coach Subscribers: 1600+ Readers: 3200+ 13APR11 
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Today's Topic - PRINCIPLE: Allow 
(Principles are basic truths that, when applied, 
cause success to come to you easier and quicker.) 

(3rd in a series of 5) 

You might think allowing is easy. There is plenty of 
evidence to the contrary. 

Allowing is about getting you out of the way. 

It's so easy to think that you, and you alone, cause 
all of your outcomes to occur. "If it is to be, it's up 
to me" was a popular saying a few years ago. Well it is 
up to you...to ask and then release it. To allow, not 
to make happen. This is a big deal. Allowing is about 
not doing, and we so want to do! 

Allowing is about trusting. And about abundance. 
And about desire. 

Allowing follows asking. After you ask, allowing is 
opening the door to allow what you have asked for 
to come in. But you may have barriers to allowing. 

Some common barriers are, "I must earn what comes 
to me." "I don't really deserve what I've asked for." 
"I asked for more than I believe is possible." "If all of 
what I asked for really does come, I'll be overwhelmed." 

You will want to discover and resolve all your barriers 
to allowing. There, that will give you plenty to do! 


Coaching Point: Are you really throwing the door 
wide open to allow what you ask for to come in? 




YOU ARE FREE TO FORWARD THIS. And Thanks! 
Copyright 2011 Steve Straus. All rights reserved. 
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 
To subscribe or unsubscribe, click here 
www.StrausUSA.com/subscribe.htm then enter your email address. 


Steve Straus 
A Coach for highly successful people -- since 1987 
195 Panorama Cir., Pottsboro, Texas 75076 USA 
903-786-4786 
http://www.StrausUSA.com 

Peace and love,

Elle

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...S T E V E ' S....3 - M I N U T E....C O A C H I N G 
Steve Straus - Coach Subscribers: 1600+ Readers: 3200+ 16MAR11 
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Today's Topic - DISTINCTION: Luggage vs. Baggage 
(Distinctions are subtleties of language that, when gotten, 
cause a shift in a belief, behavior, value or attitude.) 

Baggage. 

Just the word, used as a complete sentence, can evoke 
an emotional response because it has come to be used 
in the context of something unpleasant. "She/he has so 
much emotional baggage," is not a generally positive 
observation to make of someone. Or, to have made of 
you. 

Luggage is a more neutral term. Luggage is used to 
carry useful stuff. You use luggage to take the things 
you believe you will want and need on a trip. "Packing 
light" is a positive process; taking only what is useful. 

The distinction between luggage and baggage, then, is 
in the contents. Luggage assists you. Baggage weighs 
you down. 


Coaching Point: Who packs your (emotional) bags? 
You, living in the present, or your past? 



[Thanks to Clive Wilson (www.primeast.com) for inspiring 
this S3MC.] 




YOU ARE FREE TO FORWARD THIS. And Thanks! 
Copyright 2011 Steve Straus. All rights reserved. 
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 
To subscribe or unsubscribe, click here 
www.StrausUSA.com/subscribe.htm then enter your email address. 


Steve Straus 
A Coach for highly successful people -- since 1987 
195 Panorama Cir., Pottsboro, Texas 75076 USA 
903-786-4786 
http://www.StrausUSA.com 

Peace and Love,
Elle

__________________________________________________________ 

....S T E V E ' S....3 - M I N U T E....C O A C H I N G 
Steve Straus - Coach Subscribers: 1550+ Readers: 3100+ 29SEP10 
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Today's Topic - QUOTE: Highways and Runways 
(Quotes are capsules of information, reinforcement or enlightenment.) 


"A mile of highway can take you a mile. 

A mile of runway can take you anywhere" 

"Llano Larry" of the Llano, Texas airport 
(As quoted in Flying Magazine) 


Coaching Point: This quote is obviously about more than 
highways and runways; more than the difference between 
two strips of pavement. It's about perspective. Are you 
bound by the concrete of the here and now or do you leave 
it behind from time to time and live with the desire to see 
what's possible? 




YOU ARE FREE TO FORWARD THIS. And Thanks! 
Copyright 2010 Steve Straus. All rights reserved. 
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 
To subscribe or unsubscribe, click here 
www.StrausUSA.com/subscribe.htm then enter your email address. 


Steve Straus 
A Coach for highly successful people -- since 1987 
195 Panorama Cir., Pottsboro, Texas 75076 USA 
903-786-4786 
http://www.StrausUSA.com