Black Friday

Saturday, November 29th, 2008

I take shopping research pretty seriously. Always knowing or at least having some very definite ideas ahead of time, what I’m going to buy and how much I’m going to pay. I’m the shopper with a list, a plan of which stores I’m going to visit and a definite plan in mind. Armed with my list and my plan I’m able to enjoy the crowds, the lights, decorations and the festivity in the air. Having said all of that, I’ve never shopped on ‘Black Friday’. Just the mere thought of heading out during the busiest shopping day of the year has always made me a wee bit weary, I just never wanted to fight crowds and deal with what I was sure would be crabby, rushed people.

This year all anyone on the news has been talking about has been our country’s financial crisis. The department stores are in turn offering deeper discounts than ever before! That’s the claim I heard again and again. So, stores were fishing for shoppers and like a good little fishy, I felt the need to take the bait. What fun I had!

The mall was incredibly busy, just finding a spot even at the late hour of morning that I ventured out took quite a bit of time. But once I entered the mall I was so pleasantly surprised. People were smiling; chatting and gathering holiday gifts the way squirrels gather nuts. Busy, busy, busy. The U.S. Marines were out collecting Toys for Tots, smiling and talking to the happy shoppers. Decorations were beautiful. I have to say that 9 out of 10 people seemed like they were having a great time. It was so much fun! I felt like giggling when I found just what I was looking for time and again. Each one was just what I expected to pay or less. Turns out that Black Friday really does offer some great deals.

What’s the point of my story? You just know there has got to be a point here somewhere. I would like to encourage others to try something new. Stretching or pushing slightly past our normal comfort zone can be a very exciting, slightly scary and very satisfying experience. This can be something big or small; it may pertain to your business or line of work. Possibly something to do with friends or family or of course your stretch could be about doing something just for you, yourself. For me today, it was about venturing out on the busiest shopping day of the year, something I always swore I wouldn’t do. I learned that I really enjoyed it and will probably do it again. The life coach in me is very pleased.

I encourage you to try something new, stretch just a little bit; you may find a fabulous experience just waiting for you.

Warmly,
Sandy

Be a Kid Again

Saturday, November 1st, 2008

It turns out that our kids are always teaching us lessons. All three are grown and in fact the eldest is married. Each of them has been on their own since he was eighteen years old, they have responsible jobs, and if you would meet any of them one on one you would have an impression of average young men. But when they are all together, they resume the roles they had when they were all less than 10 years old. It’s a hoot!

My husband and I joined them at our place at the lake yesterday, the place where everyone can just completely relax and have fun. As soon as they heard us arrive, I heard one of them call out ‘Indy’s here!’ Yes, they really were more excited to see the dog than their Dad and me, that’s okay; he was incredibly, silly happy to see all of his kids too.

As soon as we got in the house the stories began. Each one upping the ante just a bit when it came his turn to get a word in edgewise. For some reason the lampshades were all slightly askew and I actually asked how in the world lampshades on standing lamps got knocked awry. Silly me. It didn’t take long for the story-telling and needling each other to move on to a bit of ‘nudging’ one another as they walked around. Oh yeah, that’s how the lampshades get in that condition! How in the world had I forgotten? They teased one another and had the dog running from one to the other for what seemed like forever. In short, they all acted like they were little boys again.

Two of them took Indy for a walk so that Indy could see the beautiful Wisconsin autumn. When they returned, another enticed Indy into a game of chase. They ran up and down the hill, hiding and then pouncing when the other came into view. The third boy was hanging out with his Dad, puttering with the boat as they got ready to put it away for the winter. Too much chattering and laughing was heard for it to have been efficient, but they got the job done.

Later they ‘discovered’ the games that have been on the shelf in the family room for the four years that we have been here. I heard one yell ‘We have Battleship and Scrabble!’ the others came running. From there on I heard good-natured accusations of cheating, shouts of surprise and not just laughing, but giggling as they tried to out-smart each other. No one was exempt, the daughter-in-law was in the middle of it all and even my husband was trying to make up words for Scrabble.

I want to thank all four of our kids (yes, we consider our beautiful daughter-in-law to be one of our kids now) for reminding us to relax, let go and have fun. They are all responsible adults in their day jobs, but when they are together they remember to enjoy each other and laugh. Simply laugh. Once again, I’ve been reminded that most of us have amazing life coaches in our lives; we just need to look around and pay a bit of attention.

So just for today, I suggest that you take a trip down memory lane. Try to remember that fabulous feeling of laughing and giggling. Remember the mud smooshing through your toes on a warm spring day, the feeling of flying a kite, playing in a leaf pile or making a snowman. Whatever it is that makes you feel like a happy kid again. Please take a few minutes, close your eyes and try to recall. Let yourself feel the happiness, the smooshy mud, the cool breeze, the warmth of sun on your face as you lay in the grass and watched clouds float by. And don’t forget to allow yourself to chuckle, grin, laugh and giggle.

I wish you a fabulous day recalling happy memories and making new memories to recall in the future.

With warmth,
Sandy

Positive Motivation

Saturday, October 18th, 2008

We all need motivation. What does it for you? As a life coach some people firmly believe that I always feel positive, motivated and ‘up’. While that’s true to a large extent because I am simply blessed with an optimistic nature, a lot of it comes from learning to find the positive in situations. We can all do the same.

Here’s an example. It’s Saturday morning, there’s no reason in the world why I can’t sleep in, I have nothing pressing to do and the house is clean. What’s more when I opened my eyes and peeked out the window it was clear that it had been raining and I think the weather is forecast for gloomy and sprinkles all day. On the other hand, while the temptation to lie in bed is rather strong I do have a lot of things I’d like to do today, and the truth is that I like getting up early rather than late.

What to do. I got up again, looked out the window and noticed how incredibly beautiful the leaves look; they are in full glory as it is mid-October. I reminded myself how much I thoroughly enjoy rainy days and that autumn is one of my favorite seasons, I so enjoy the color, the brisk air and watching the squirrels scamper around the yard as they search for food to stash for the upcoming winter. After getting up and getting dressed to go to the gym I took a short walk outside. The sun was peeking through those glorious leaves and the birds were singing, just for me I know. Guess whose feeling completely and totally motivated now.

The point here is that everyone is motivated by something different and that something may change from day to day or situation to situation. I mentioned that I’m not a fan of going to the gym. Never quite got the thrill of lifting heavy things and sweating if it wasn’t doing something that I enjoy like gardening or playing an outdoors game with my dog. But the fact is that my body needs more exercise than my day to day activities were providing. I joined Curves, a gym for women. I love going there! The music is lively and fun, but best of all the women are all friendly, welcoming and supportive. Works for me, knowing that I get to go somewhere see people that I really like and that I’m doing something good for my health in just a short timeframe is motivation enough for me to go and sweat. A good friend of mine is motivated to exercise at home for exactly the opposite reasons. She very much enjoys the quiet and solitude of working out in her basement. It lets her gather her thoughts and she feels terrific and ready to face the day when she is done. I would be bored and more than a bit crabby with her option, and she would absolutely despise mine, but each of us is motivated by the choices we have made.

So many things you can do to motivate yourself or those around you. Take the time to discover what makes you feel great; what shifts your attitude from ho-hum to gung-ho. It might be music, a conversation with certain people, a walk outside. Truly it could be anything. I would suggest that you pay attention to that part of you that says this is fun, exciting or simply makes me want to do more of what I am doing. When you get that message, you are being motivated. Your attitude is shifting to feel more positive and that’s always a very good thing. Take note, you’ll want to recreate that feeling again, there’s no doubt about it.

Wishing you a day filled with positive motivation. Doesn’t it feel fabulous?

Warmly,
Sandy

This Life Coach Needs People!

Saturday, October 4th, 2008

I’m a pretty social person, my husband…not so much. Now he’s a great guy and he enjoys being with family and

My five favorite guys, good reasons for me to keep in contact.

friends, but frankly he gets pretty much all of his social needs met by spending time with our grown kids, the occasional outing with friends and spending those 24 hour shifts with ‘the guys’ at the firehouse.

As for me, I need people! I need to work, see, talk to, play with and generally interact with many more people. Much of my daily life is handled on the telephone, and while I appreciate and enjoy this very much, I also have an absolute need to spend time being in the actual physical proximity of other people.

So, I do a couple of things. I attend business networking groups, I’ve joined a book club (I love to read!), I take my dog for lots of walks or to the dog park where I am sure to meet people with similar interests. I go to Curves, a gym for women, it’s chatty and friendly, and I get to fit in the dreaded work-out while I’m having a great time getting to know the other women. Having lunch or seeing a movie with a dear friend is always fun. It’s not unusual at all for me to call a friend or one of my boys to invite them to just come over and hang out; we might have a meal together or simply enjoy a glass of wine outside by the fire.

Years ago, this was a bit more difficult for me. My husband works as a firefighter and that often meant that he was gone. Most of the time I appreciate and enjoy my alone time, but sometimes I need that social contact. For me that meant getting involved in…oh, so many things. When my boys were younger, I not only took them to Scouts, I got very involved. It was a great way to get to know the other boys and their families that my boys were interacting with. And it was fun being a leader for so many years. The same with school, I participated in many activities. As my sons got older my social activities revolved around them less and less. Yahoo! It was time for me to be a grown up again. It’s been terrific finding my own interests and participating in things that I truly enjoy.

Now, keep in mind I mentioned earlier that my husband would rather spend most of his time with me. That’s fine! When he’s around I spend a great deal of time with him, he compromises by doing a few social activities with me and I compromise by doing most of my socializing during his work days. Of course I do spend some time doing my own thing when he’s home, but with each of us doing just a bit of bending it works very well.

So, the life coach in me wants to turn this into a lesson. You didn’t think I was just rambling on did you? Early on I discovered that I had much more need for social outlets than my sweet husband. We talked about it and decided that the most positive and satisfying way to work this out was just the solution I have already described. That was the action part, in case you missed it. There’s no way that my husband can fulfill all of my social needs and for me to drag him everywhere would make both of us miserable. So, our solution is a positive for both of us.

Wishing you the fabulous joys of as much or as little social activity as is right for you.

Warmly,
Sandy