A friend sent me a card a while back. Inside she wrote that she hoped that perhaps the passage would help others find their quest in life as I have. With that hope, I share that passage with you hoping that you too find your quest!
"Today your life holds for you endless possibilities. You have built a solid foundation, and you have worked hard for it. Continue to do what is necessary to move forward one day at a time. Write down your dream and tuck it away - entrusting that all things will come at the right time. Keep sight always of what is important in life. Remember that true happiness and purpose will be found in relationships - in the workplace and at home. Live each day open to guidance, and your purpose will be revealed to you. May your future be filled with love and acceptance."
Write down your dream...tuck it away..or not...and watch for the opportunities that arise.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
72 Hours
Did you know that when you have an idea or thought...you must act on it within 72 hours, otherwise the thought or idea just remains just that...a fleeting thought or idea. If you take action within 72 hours of the thought or idea, then the thought or idea becomes an action step...it becomes more solid and real!
I led a workshop on Friday night. One of the women said, "I'm afraid I'll wake up tomorrow morning and all the thoughts and ideas that we're discussing right now will
leave me." She knew in order to make the changes she wanted to she needed to act.
Many times we have thoughts or ideas that we don't act on. How powerful is it when we take action? When we take action we're moving forward...often proving to ourselves that whatever had held us back in the past was only our thoughts about how big, long, or boring a certain task might be. Taking action, one small step, frees you to see what's possible.
Taking the first step is often the hardest. That's why 72 hours is the key. Push yourself to take action within 72 hours and your world will open up. One of the biggest benefits of working with a coach like myself is the accountability. If you knew someone would call you within 72 hours to see how you are doing and if you have done what you said, it's a great motivator. Just knowing someone else knows what you must do is helpful.
72 hours...or less...is all it takes to get moving. What will you do in the next
72 hours that will move you from your comfort zone to your growth zone?
I led a workshop on Friday night. One of the women said, "I'm afraid I'll wake up tomorrow morning and all the thoughts and ideas that we're discussing right now will
leave me." She knew in order to make the changes she wanted to she needed to act.
Many times we have thoughts or ideas that we don't act on. How powerful is it when we take action? When we take action we're moving forward...often proving to ourselves that whatever had held us back in the past was only our thoughts about how big, long, or boring a certain task might be. Taking action, one small step, frees you to see what's possible.
Taking the first step is often the hardest. That's why 72 hours is the key. Push yourself to take action within 72 hours and your world will open up. One of the biggest benefits of working with a coach like myself is the accountability. If you knew someone would call you within 72 hours to see how you are doing and if you have done what you said, it's a great motivator. Just knowing someone else knows what you must do is helpful.
72 hours...or less...is all it takes to get moving. What will you do in the next
72 hours that will move you from your comfort zone to your growth zone?
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Happy New Year!!
It's interesting to me as I bump into people or overhear conversations about the holiday break, the New Year and the feeling of new starts. I sense a feeling of renewal, of reflection, of hope and a yearning for change. It sounds like people enjoyed a slower pace during the holiday break as well as a break from the daily routines.
I enjoyed a very relaxing time away with my family in Vermont. I too, broke away from my daily routines and pace of life. The break allowed me to really remove myself from my routines. Now, I find getting back into my usual routines a chance to see them differently, to make subtle changes, to appreciate and embrace all that surrounds me. I find myself re-evaluating my life and making new goals, letting go of old ones and feeling refreshed and renewed with a new plan for my life.
Yesterday while at my gym a woman said to me, "You must be busy this time of year!?" She was referring to all the New Year's Resolutions that people make. She then said,"I should talk to you about my resolutions." She commented on seeing a group of women out running together that morning. She laughed as she also commented on wondering how long that resolution would last.
Resolutions do serve a purpose. They do get us thinking about making positive changes. But, resolutions, for most of us don't last. Why? Because resolutions are often too big. "This year I'm going to..." Well, after 6 weeks the idea is a faded memory, or you get bored, etc, etc. Resolutions also have no plan. How will you achieve it?
Instead of resolutions, set goals. Make them realistic. Break the goals down into monthly, weekly and daily goals. The small pieces help to create your plan. As the woman in the gym said to me, "You must be busy." Yes, busy in helping people get clear about what they want in their life, helping them to set realistic goals and developing the plan to achieve them. Nothing is more satisfying to me than seeing my clients make the changes in their lives, achieve what they want and have a smile on their faces.
I enjoyed a very relaxing time away with my family in Vermont. I too, broke away from my daily routines and pace of life. The break allowed me to really remove myself from my routines. Now, I find getting back into my usual routines a chance to see them differently, to make subtle changes, to appreciate and embrace all that surrounds me. I find myself re-evaluating my life and making new goals, letting go of old ones and feeling refreshed and renewed with a new plan for my life.
Yesterday while at my gym a woman said to me, "You must be busy this time of year!?" She was referring to all the New Year's Resolutions that people make. She then said,"I should talk to you about my resolutions." She commented on seeing a group of women out running together that morning. She laughed as she also commented on wondering how long that resolution would last.
Resolutions do serve a purpose. They do get us thinking about making positive changes. But, resolutions, for most of us don't last. Why? Because resolutions are often too big. "This year I'm going to..." Well, after 6 weeks the idea is a faded memory, or you get bored, etc, etc. Resolutions also have no plan. How will you achieve it?
Instead of resolutions, set goals. Make them realistic. Break the goals down into monthly, weekly and daily goals. The small pieces help to create your plan. As the woman in the gym said to me, "You must be busy." Yes, busy in helping people get clear about what they want in their life, helping them to set realistic goals and developing the plan to achieve them. Nothing is more satisfying to me than seeing my clients make the changes in their lives, achieve what they want and have a smile on their faces.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
New Life
An amazing thing happened to me on Tuesday. I became a grandmother!!
My daughter/step-daughter, gave birth to her first child, Dean.
The miracle of life! The miracle of labor, of the human body, of the immediate bond between Mom, Dad and child. The joy, the newness, the awe of it all. There's nothing like the birth of a child.
At a recent conference I attended in Montreal, we were treated to a Native American blessing. A song writer had put it to music and had the huge room of 2,000 people sing it in a round. The words and music brought tears to my eyes. It was a blessing I knew I'd want to bestow on Dean.
Here are the words:
When you were born you cried
And the world rejoiced
Live your life so that when you die
The world cries and you rejoice!
I truly believe that each of us have been put on this earth for a reason. We've all
been given great gifts. It's up to us to use them. Are you living your life so that when you die the world cries and you rejoice?
It's never too late to live your life differently, more fully and with meaning.
As I watched my daughter and son in law become parents...I saw them see new meaning for their lives. Our children stand for us to live our life so that when we die they cry and we rejoice.
My daughter/step-daughter, gave birth to her first child, Dean.
The miracle of life! The miracle of labor, of the human body, of the immediate bond between Mom, Dad and child. The joy, the newness, the awe of it all. There's nothing like the birth of a child.
At a recent conference I attended in Montreal, we were treated to a Native American blessing. A song writer had put it to music and had the huge room of 2,000 people sing it in a round. The words and music brought tears to my eyes. It was a blessing I knew I'd want to bestow on Dean.
Here are the words:
When you were born you cried
And the world rejoiced
Live your life so that when you die
The world cries and you rejoice!
I truly believe that each of us have been put on this earth for a reason. We've all
been given great gifts. It's up to us to use them. Are you living your life so that when you die the world cries and you rejoice?
It's never too late to live your life differently, more fully and with meaning.
As I watched my daughter and son in law become parents...I saw them see new meaning for their lives. Our children stand for us to live our life so that when we die they cry and we rejoice.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Why Would You Need a Coach?
I often hear the comment, you need a life coach, in a way that indicates "you have a problem." I find myself saying, I'm not a therapist, I'm not here to solve your problem. In order to make more clear just why someone would WANT or NEED a coach I'd like to address that very question. "Why would you want or need a coach?"
Many people are self-directed and self-managaing. They take intuitive, they know what they want and they have strategies and discipline to go after it. Yet, these very people are often the first to line up for a coach. They know that a coach can see things that they can not. Every great baseball coach has other coaches on his staff...because he can't see everything. We as individuals can't see past our own beliefs and assumptions. Thus, a second pair of eyes is better than one!
For the people that are not self-directed and self-managing coaching is a powerful resource. Coaching allows the individual to get clear as to where they are in life (like it or not), where they want to be (or perhaps figure out where they want to be) and then create a plan to get there. Coaching for these people offers guidance, support and accountability. Accountability is sometimes the biggest benefit. Where else in your life do you have someone holding you to what you say you want? Figuring out who you are and where you want to be is an empowering experience. One that a life coach will enable you to discover.
A third party that benefits from life coaching is the person that feels run by life. Coaching helps individuals learning to take back their life and be the driver instead of the passenger! Discovering our strengths, changing perspectives and realizing we can create what we want is the power of coaching.
I'm sure anyone who reads this would relate to some part of the descriptions above. Coaching is not about me having the right answers...rather it's about me asking you the right questions.
As a coaching friend of mine says, "Therapists use couches...coaches use stairs."
Coaching is about moving forward and creating.
Hope this helps.
Many people are self-directed and self-managaing. They take intuitive, they know what they want and they have strategies and discipline to go after it. Yet, these very people are often the first to line up for a coach. They know that a coach can see things that they can not. Every great baseball coach has other coaches on his staff...because he can't see everything. We as individuals can't see past our own beliefs and assumptions. Thus, a second pair of eyes is better than one!
For the people that are not self-directed and self-managing coaching is a powerful resource. Coaching allows the individual to get clear as to where they are in life (like it or not), where they want to be (or perhaps figure out where they want to be) and then create a plan to get there. Coaching for these people offers guidance, support and accountability. Accountability is sometimes the biggest benefit. Where else in your life do you have someone holding you to what you say you want? Figuring out who you are and where you want to be is an empowering experience. One that a life coach will enable you to discover.
A third party that benefits from life coaching is the person that feels run by life. Coaching helps individuals learning to take back their life and be the driver instead of the passenger! Discovering our strengths, changing perspectives and realizing we can create what we want is the power of coaching.
I'm sure anyone who reads this would relate to some part of the descriptions above. Coaching is not about me having the right answers...rather it's about me asking you the right questions.
As a coaching friend of mine says, "Therapists use couches...coaches use stairs."
Coaching is about moving forward and creating.
Hope this helps.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Life Balance
I'm often asked to speak about life balance. With the holidays around the corner, balancing life with all the other demands is challenging. Our to-do lists grow longer and our stress levels increase. Leaving us with little time or energy. With all the focus on our "to-do" lists we become out of balance with our "doing selves" and our "being selves".
As one of my clients recently told me,"When the "doing" takes over, it feels like being in a tunnel and all the stuff we have to do has a frantic quality to it. The stuff makes me feel trapped in the tunnel with the frantic feeling of trying to get out."
In addition, when we're over focused on what we need to do, we forget about how we want to be. Most of us don't want to be stressed, frantic, or overwhelmed. We want to be relaxed, present, and calm.
In order to find balance during the holiday season, therefore, think about how you want to be. How do you want to be, for example, on Christmas day? Do you want to be calm, relaxed, excited, playful??
Create your TO BE list. Then, create your to-do list. What do you need to do to be?
Balance the doing with your being.
Remember, too, that it's not what we do that creates memories, it's how we are. How do you want to remember this holiday season? Be present in the moment. BE calm, relaxed and available.
As one of my clients recently told me,"When the "doing" takes over, it feels like being in a tunnel and all the stuff we have to do has a frantic quality to it. The stuff makes me feel trapped in the tunnel with the frantic feeling of trying to get out."
In addition, when we're over focused on what we need to do, we forget about how we want to be. Most of us don't want to be stressed, frantic, or overwhelmed. We want to be relaxed, present, and calm.
In order to find balance during the holiday season, therefore, think about how you want to be. How do you want to be, for example, on Christmas day? Do you want to be calm, relaxed, excited, playful??
Create your TO BE list. Then, create your to-do list. What do you need to do to be?
Balance the doing with your being.
Remember, too, that it's not what we do that creates memories, it's how we are. How do you want to remember this holiday season? Be present in the moment. BE calm, relaxed and available.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Words and Their Power
Words
DID is a word of ACHIEVEMENT
WON'T is a word of REBELLION
MIGHT is a word of MEDIOCRITY
CAN'T is a word of DEFEAT & FEAR
SHOULD is a word of DUTY
COULD is a word of POSSIBILITIES
WANT TO are words of CHOICE
TRY is a word of LITTLE FAITH
MAYBE is a word of PROCRASTINATION
WILL is a word of COURAGE
CAN is a word of POWER & SELF-DETERMINATION
DOING is a word of PROGRESS & FULFILLMENT
DONE is a word of SUCCESS.
What words do you use in your "self-talk?"
Do they empower you?
DID is a word of ACHIEVEMENT
WON'T is a word of REBELLION
MIGHT is a word of MEDIOCRITY
CAN'T is a word of DEFEAT & FEAR
SHOULD is a word of DUTY
COULD is a word of POSSIBILITIES
WANT TO are words of CHOICE
TRY is a word of LITTLE FAITH
MAYBE is a word of PROCRASTINATION
WILL is a word of COURAGE
CAN is a word of POWER & SELF-DETERMINATION
DOING is a word of PROGRESS & FULFILLMENT
DONE is a word of SUCCESS.
What words do you use in your "self-talk?"
Do they empower you?
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