SigmaU Blog

Sometimes life runs so smoothly; relationships are flourishing, business is booming and you’re unstoppable! Then there are times when you feel like you’re constantly being kicked down by life’s circumstances. If that’s you, I want to share with you three ways to beat defeat!

1. Remind yourself of everything that you've done before
2. Seek out support from others who won't be soft on you, but will remind you of your greatness
3. Take action! Grant Cardone uses an amazing expression. He says that action gives fear and doubt the middle finger and I couldn't agree more.

The first thing that you need to do is remember your greatness. Not in an egotistical or an inflated self-confidence sense but actually going back and reminding yourself of your value. 

• What are some of the amazing things that you have done in your life?
• How have you helped others succeed?
• How is your product or service that much better from the competition?
• What are the statistics that tell you...

Over the last couple of months, I’ve become increasingly aware of my consumption.  When I am more disciplined about my physical, emotional, and spiritual consumption I’m peaceful and productive.  When I lose sight of this awareness, I can easily spiral into negative thinking and experience anxiety.

Outlets are an important part of healthy and balance living.  We have some outlets like exercise which support our growth in a positive way. Working out can also provide a way for us to feel a small sense of control in an unstable world. Other outlets include binge watching Netflix, alcohol, or drugs. Our outlets are ways for us to feel a little calmer, a little happier and perhaps numb our anxiousness. What...

Having congruency with your intentions creates a strong sense of self confidence, peace, and a greater sense of purpose. We know that high performers are deliberate with their actions. They set intentions each day and likely before transitioning to each new activity.

High performers map out what their top priorities for the day are, what their focus needs to be on and how they would show up as their best selves.

When I coach with clients, one of the very first things I have them do is to select 3 words that would describe their best self. These words may not necessarily reflect who they are today, but rather who they are becoming as they work towards growing and transforming into a high achiever. Some clients can come up with the 3 works quickly, they are sure about who they are and what they would want others to describe them as. For others, this is an introspective process that takes time.

What’s most important is making sure that future actions align with those 3 words. I...

I bought into the lie that I was someone who would always have to watch their weight. In fact, I’ve been up and down since eleven years of age and with dramatic swings. I’ve been unhealthy consuming less than 300 calories a day in my teenage years living off lettuce and diet coke and I’ve been over a hundred pounds heavier than my tiniest weight.

I’ve invested hundreds, no thousands of dollars in weight loss programs from Herbal Magic to high-end weight loss doctors and systems and here’s what I found. I would gain quick success and see huge results that NEVER lasted! I would be so disciplined with my eating that I would literally stand around and watch everyone eat my birthday cake while I munched on celery sticks. Not a sustainable or very enjoyable way to live!

It was only around 40 when I had a breakthrough and that was to do the inner work required for long-lasting and sustainable results.

Many motivational speakers including Ed Mylett talk about...

Just how powerful is a question? Well, it can be life changing as a matter of fact! I’ve had the privilege of working with clients as a High Performance Coach™ and I can tell you that questions change peoples’ lives!

Here’s how it happens!

• Changes our Perspective!

When we change our lens, we change our lives! A coach that I worked with in the past used to ask me a very thought-provoking question when I was upset with someone or a situation. He would always ask “Nikki, what else could it be?” This helped provide such perspective because, of course, I begrudgingly came up with half a dozen possible scenarios which proved his point!  When we approach challenges or setback with a powerful question like this one, we also change the lens in which we see the world. Perhaps at first, I think “that person is rude.” What happens when I replace it with “that person must be pretty stressed out right now.” It instantly changes my...

I didn’t realize just how vehemently I am committed to personal growth and development until I was challenged and told that it was selfish. I stopped dead in my tracks and couldn’t believe what I was hearing. This individual said “ya but have you considered the flipside of personal development. It’s actually selfish.”

Well, no! I must admit that I’d never considered investing in myself to be selfish and it got me wondering if people hold back from growing because they have bought in to this myth as well.

Here are a few reasons why I believe that personal development is not selfish.

1. You’re human which means you have an inherent need to grow.

See, most people stop living well before they’re dead. I look at some of my own family members who consume hours and hours of news and television and stopped growing years ago because they learned “all that they needed to know.” For me, that’s a sad existence.

I believe that...

If you’re a growth-oriented and innovative company then courage should definitely be a part of your culture. It takes guts to be different, to challenge the status quo and to set BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals) for your company!

To execute and navigate through unknown territory takes courage and it’s not enough for the leader to be courageous. Courage needs to be woven through the organization.

Show Courage as a Leader

Like most things, courage will require you as a leader setting an example for your team. My old coach Lindsay used to always say “Leaders get the behaviours they display or tolerate.” So how can you be an example of courage? Courage as a leader isn’t necessarily about control or leading the charge. In fact, courage as a leader shows up when you push yourself outside of your comfort zone. When you’re vulnerable by putting yourself out there on social media for example. It’s being courageous enough to admit to the team when...

The right coach can accelerate your growth like nobody’s business! I’ve invested in different kinds of coaches over the years from retired corporate executives to mid-sized coaching companies to Tony Robbins coaching programs, so I’ve been around the block.

Here’s what I can tell you after spending a quarter of a million dollars on personal development and coaching: they ALL helped me in one way or another grow smarter, faster and learn more about myself. What I also learned is that most coaches provide what is referred to as “status coaching”. Each week or month, I would report in on what I completed, what I didn’t, lessons learned etc.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with status coaching, I benefited from it for decades.

Then I discovered High Performance Coaching and it was like the clouds rolled back and I experienced and was exposed to coaching on steroids! High Performance Coaching is a curriculum-based and science-backed...

Group coaching, whether it be within your organization or outside, is a fantastic way to level up and step outside your comfort zone!

In order for group coaching to be successful everyone who is part of the group must have similar beliefs and values regarding coaching and want to succeed. It has to be understood that the group coaching space is a safe place to share and learn with one another.

The Format of Group Coaching

The format for group coaching can vary week to week or month to month depending on when your group meets. It is helpful as a coach to lay out an agenda of the different topics to be covered at each session. During the sessions the coach will ask thought provoking questions that will lead to a powerful discussion. The coach may take the opportunity to challenge a participant’s answer to help them dig deeper or work through their challenge. Other members within the group are encouraged to offer their knowledge from their own experiences to their team member...