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"An inexhaustible good nature is one of
the most precious gifts of heaven, spreading itself like oil over the
troubled sea of thought, and keeping the mind smooth and equable in the
roughest weather." -Washington
Irving
"Better keep yourself clean and bright;
you are the window through which you must see the world."
-George Bernard Shaw
Practice News and Notes
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New! Resume
Writing Service
The one thing nearly every client asks me for is
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place. Click here for
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Resume Do's and Don'ts."
~~~~~~~~~
Get Your Life on
Solid Ground!
Take the "Life
Upgrade"
E-Course
If your life is pretty good, but you still
sometimes feel like you need more of some things (time, money,
energy, better relationships) or less of others (tolerations,
commitments, stress), you may be in need of a life upgrade. Order my
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base that supports your life. Think of it as your 35,000-mile life tuneup!
Each week you will receive a new lesson by
e-mail. Best of all, the course includes e-mail coaching with me, all for
only $129! At the end of the 12-lesson course, you will have learned how to
cut out what doesn't work for you and practiced some new skills to spend
your energy only on what does work for you! Click here to see a
sample lesson:
http://coachgwen.com/_private/
sample.pdf
~~~~~~~~~
If your
biography were to be written today I would like for it to be something you
would delight in reading! I'd love to help you create a full, focused life
while answering the question, "What's next?". Call or e-mail me for a free
30-minute sample session so we can get you started ASAP!
Phone: 972-333-5932
E-mail:
gwen@coachgwen.com
Office hours: M-F, 9am-5pm, CST
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A Lesson In Perspective
From
Mount St. Helens
If you have watched the news at
all the last week, you have undoubtedly seen reports of Mount St.
Helens blowing off steam and the accompanying predictions of a bigger blast.
Fortunately, it isn't expected to explode like it did in 1980 because
of the more frequent, smaller eruptions which have released some of the
intense pressure, preventing a much greater disaster.
There is a great lesson in this,
and that is the importance of knowing how and when to "loosen the valves" so
to speak in order to prevent life's pressures from building up to a level
that causes you to feel and behave in ways inconsistent with who you really
are.
This lesson has been a little
close to home this past two months as I have had more stressors than usual
in my otherwise calm life. We have had our house on the market for two
months, I have made a couple of long road
trips with baby in tow to help my mother sort and pack for a move to
independent living in another state, I have begun writing a book by getting up in the wee hours of the
morning, and I have hired a web design
coach to help me overhaul my web site, which has also resulted in a complete
evaluation of my practice and its structure. Overhauling the web site will
probably require about 60 hours of my time just to construct once the design
decisions are all made. I hope to have all of these projects completed by
mid-November, as long as I can work it all around the schedule of an
8-month-old!
In the midst of all of this, one
of my sisters has remarked how "laid back" I am and wondered why
I wasn't more panicked, particularly about getting my mother moved on such short notice.
Well, here's the deal. If you just look at that laundry
list of what has been going on in my life, it can sound a little overloaded. But here is how I rewrite the list in my head:
"Hmmm, the house hasn't sold
yet. It just may not be the right time and that is o.k., because we like the
house we're in, it's just a little small. We can always take it off the
market for a while and try again later. Thank goodness my mom's house sold
fast, because this move is so necessary for her and if it hadn't sold
quickly, she might have changed her mind. It will be nice to have her moved
and settled before the holidays.
I'm so excited about my book and
get really energized during that hour of quiet and creativity in the morning
before I wake the baby. I may continue this routine long after the book is
finished. I'm so glad I took the step to hire a web design coach who will
lend fresh eyes to the project and help me get it up and going much sooner
than I could or would on my own. This process of evaluating my business has
generated all kinds of new ideas and the creative juices are flowing!"
Do you see the difference? My
"rewrite" included exactly the same items that were on my factual list, but
did you feel the difference in the two ways of looking at it? You may have subconsciously tensed up as you read my first list, wondering why I wasn't
coaching myself better! Then perhaps you relaxed some when you read my real
interpretation of events. The key is how you look at your list. If
you occasionally feel like Mount St. Helens waiting to blow, I suggest you
actually do what I just did to let off some steam. Sit down and write the
facts (no commentary) about what you have on your plate at the moment.
First, cross off or delegate the items that don't depend solely upon you, or
that don't have to be taken care of immediately. Then one by one, rewrite
the list in a more grateful, positive context, as I did. Next, see what else you can
add to the list that will add to your enjoyment. For example, right
before my second long trip to my mother's, my husband and I hired a
babysitter one night and went out on a date. It allowed us to reconnect to
what attracted us to each other in the first place and made it a little more
bearable to be apart the next week. What else can you do in the area of
self-care to relieve some of the pressure? Some ideas:
-
Look at your obligation list and
be realistic about what really requires your attention and what can wait.
-
Say no to new commitments until
you really have the time and energy.
-
Do something every day purely
for the joy of doing it. This is a must! It can be as simple as sitting down for 15
minutes and having a really good cup of coffee or doing something nice for
someone else, all the way to planning a day trip to your favorite scenic
little town or throwing a party.
-
Engage in meaningful
conversation with someone you care about. Stay connected. If something on
your list doesn't get finished because of this, it is still time well spent.
Never feel guilty about it.
-
Make your environment more
supportive, e.g., clear clutter, create a physical space where you can
thrive, spend time with friends who lift your spirits.
Remember, taking care to
relieve some of the pressure of daily life not only benefits you, it also
protects the people around you!
If you would like to go deeper
with letting off some of the steam in your life, I invite you take a look
at my "Life Upgrade"
e-course. This is precisely what the course is designed to do, as well
as to help you begin to really enjoy your life.
How do you release the steam? If
you have neat ideas to share with other readers, send them to me at
gwen@coachgwen.com.
Warmest Regards,
Gwen
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