A Kind Word Changed My Day

Monday, April 12th, 2010

Generally speaking, I wake up before my alarm has the chance to ring, however, on this particular morning I couldn’t seem to open both of my eyes at the same time. I heard the alarm and instead of turning it off, I selected snooze…three  or 4 times. I didn’t actually fall back to sleep, because each time I knew I was getting nearer and nearer to the time I actually had to leave the house and that thought was making me anxious. Yes, the life coach inside of me knew the easy and best solution would have been to talk to myself about the advantages of getting up, and then sit up, but I simply didn’t.

By the time I did get up I was running late for meeting with one of my favorite non-client groups. Things weren’t progressing particularly well. My watch battery had gone dead, my hair, well let’s not talk about what my hair was doing, and did I mention that I couldn’t find my glasses? I got to the meeting and had to ask one of my friends to set my alarm reminding me of departing time. I couldn’t do it myself because I couldn’t see the teeny, tiny buttons. No glasses means no bi-focals, means no clear vision… When I was asked a simple question I was all foggy and it was just about all I could do to speak my name coherently.I sooooo felt like I needed to go back home and begin my day all over again.

Then it happened, the magic which changed my day. I like the gentleman who was sitting next to me, he’s a bit quiet, means what he says when he does speak and is a man of integrity. In short, I like and respect him and what he has to say. He paid me a compliment. Nothing huge, but a very nice, sincere compliment. My whole day completely changed. Every time I thought about it, I smiled. I felt calmer and more self-confident. From that point on my day went better than I could have imagined.

My point here? Our words have strength, they affect others in ways we often don’t expect or even imagine. hurt someone with a thoughtless or curt comment, damaging their self-esteem and perhaps inflicting long lasting damage. However, if we offer a sincere smile, a friendly compliment or offer a kind gesture we may change their day. Which of course this person may then pass along to the next person, etc. Hmmm, it seems to me we have the opportunity here to change the entire world, one kind word at a time.

By the way, that compliment I mentioned, it’s almost a week later and it still makes me stand a little straighter and smile. Thank you my friend.

Namaste,

Sandy

A Good Deed

Saturday, November 7th, 2009

I’ve posted about this before, but every time I think about it I become very excited, so I thought I’d share with you.

Our mother’s taught us that we should be nice to others because it’s the right thing to do; I tried to teach my kids the very same thing. I remember from time to time one of my boys would ask why they should help out their brother, what was in it for them? Well, I was the grown-up in the house, so in the most gentle, loving manner I could muster I would calmly explain that what was in it for them was the opportunity to sleep inside the house that night and with any luck the next night as well! I tried hard to be a generous and helpful mom.

I wish I had known then what I know now. It turns out that every time we do something kind for someone else, from helping them find their shoes to untying them from the railroad track just before the speeding train arrives, raises our serotonin levels. In short it makes us feel good. Here’s where it gets even better. You would probably expect the formerly tied up on the track person to feel pretty good about the new situation. But guess what, you will too! That’s right not only are you doing just what your mama told you to do (rest assured, Mom’s feeling pretty good at the moment now as well) but your serotonin levels go up just as a result of your doing the right thing. Hot dog, you’ve got to love that. But wait, it gets even better!

This is not just a win/win for both the good deed doer and the good deed recipient, but it turns out that anyone witnessing the event also experiences a rise in serotonin. How cool is that? That explains why I felt so good when I would watch one of my boys help the other to build a snow fort. They thought they were simply doing it to protect their corner of the yard from the opponents on the other side of the yard, and in truth that’s what they were doing. But they undoubtedly felt good as a result of the kindness, their brothers felt good and I now realize that this act in full view of the neighbors probably made them smile and feel just a bit better as well.

Now the life coach in me realizes that even if I didn’t intellectually understand this all those years ago that I probably intuitive understood it and that others probably do as well. But how cool is it that we now actually know intellectually what we felt all along?

I’ve had conversations with other Reiki people about this from another angle. For instance, while I give myself Reiki frequently I most feel the wonderful effects of Reiki when I am offering it to another. That is definite motivation to be sharing Reiki with anyone and everyone who is open to the experience. It just feels good and makes me happy.

What to do with this information? Perhaps just knowing it is enough to make you smile and feel good. You might share the info with others and hopefully motivate them to do an extra  kindness.

In truth I don’t care just what the motivation was that made my little boys help one another out from time to time. They did and clearly they got something from the experience as they are all now adults who don’t hesitate to assist others cheerfully. I feel better just having that knowledge.

I wish you a fabulous week, offering, receiving and observing kindness and good deeds.

Warmly,

Sandy

Another Lesson from Indiana

Saturday, July 11th, 2009

I’ve written here about my buddy Indiana before. He’s the charming, good looking, friendly and ever so clever boxer dog who lives with my husband and me. Indy will be five years old in just a few weeks, so he’s now officially a middle-aged gentleman in the boxer world. All my life I’ve had the privilege of living with dogs and they have always had so much to teach me. Indy is no exception.

Recently our son Jeff who lives in Los Angeles decided he really wanted a dog to keep him company. He’s been raised with boxers and really missed Indy, so he adopted a boxer that he named Duke. Duke is a big, beautiful boy, friendly and very mellow, somewhere between 1 and 2 years old. The rescue wasn’t sure of his age as they had no idea where he originally came from. This dog seemed perfect to live with Jeff and so they went home together.

They bonded instantly and became best buddies. The problem is that Duke couldn’t get over the noise and constant activity of LA. The poor guy actually started loosing his hair. After consulting a behaviorist, veterinarian and trainer who each independently told Jeff that Duke was clearly not going to adjust to being an urban dog, Jeff decided to re home his buddy. So, he made arrangements for Duke to go to Texas to live with his elder brother Bill and his wife Felicia. The only problem is that they could not take him for 3 months and Duke clearly could not stay in LA, his stress level was just escalating.

Road trip! Duke and Jeff made their way across the USA to Milwaukee. Duke is going to hang with us until Bill and Felicia are able to take him home in a few months. All of this is well and good, we were pretty sure Indy would be happy to have a friend for a few months as he’s always done well with doggy company. But Duke has little or no experience with other dogs, so we really didn’t know how this would go.

I should have known that I could trust the dogs, particularly Indy to handle the situation perfectly. From the moment Duke walked into the yard, Indy reined in his normally exuberant behavior, walked over to Duke and in their silent language invited his new pal to stroll through the yard with him and look it all over. Duke was only slightly hesitant. Indy was calm and patient, luring him when Duke was shy and playing a bit now and then when Duke showed a bit more interest.

This has been going on for a few days now. I’ve been walking them together each day so that Duke is more comfortable with me when Jeff leaves and to of course reinforce his training and give them both needed exercise. The life coach in me is pleased and somewhat surprised to see that the doggy training continues between the two of them regardless of what I do. They walk on opposite sides of me, but Duke is still watching Indy and taking all of his cues from him. In the house they are also learning about one another. Indy continues to lure his new friend into the occasional game of chase or tug, exhibiting patience that I did not for a moment expect from him. Meal time is interesting as well. Duke is a big boy; a bit underweight and not filled out yet. As such he eats considerably more than Indiana. They get separate bowls and when Duke is finished he invariably heads over to Indy’s bowl. He will gently and politely put his face near the bowl. If Indy is done he will back off and let Duke finish the food. If Indy is not done he simply pushes Duke away with a short growl that says ‘not now buddy’ and Duke quietly goes about his business.

I refer to the coaching lessons that they are both teaching me; because it strikes me that they are teaching me every moment that I watch them together. Indiana is a terrific life coach to Duke. He is patient but he also clearly has expectations. He will lure or invite Duke to do certain things, if Duke accepts they work on it together, like playing with a tug toy, a totally new experience for Duke. If Duke refuses, Indy simply walks away without taking it at all personally. He simply tries something else a bit later. What a great life coach! Indy offers, suggests, provokes just a little bit. Then he waits to see the results. If they are pleasing he lures and asks for a bit more. If the results are not successful, he tries something else. Have I mentioned that I think my Indy is a bit of a genius? lol

Both dogs are of course receiving Reiki everyday. It’s simply part of the daily routine around here. I strongly believe that Reiki is much of the reason that Indy has made such an amazing physical recovery from his stroke a few months ago. I can only imagine how it has helped him mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Of course I want Duke to enjoy the same benefits as much as possible. He’s a very special dog and deserves to know the love and benefits of people who care about him very much. Reiki is part of that experience while he’s involved with this family.

Once again, I’d like to thank the animals in my life for the simple yet profound lessons that they teach me again and again. They keep the lessons easy and straightforward. That’s greatly appreciated and I will keep applying these lessons learned while I work with my own holistic life coaching clients.

This week I encourage you to take a bit of time. Observe the animals in your life. Maybe they’re your pets, or even the squirrels and birds in the yard. It doesn’t take long to realize they are all teaching us and if we pay attention we can learn an awful lot.

Warmly,
Sandy

Frustration

Saturday, June 6th, 2009

The theory is that as a holistic life coach and Reiki master, I won’t experience frustration. Yeah, right.

There is a situation with someone in my family that could easily drive me nuts. The particulars are not really all that important. Regarding most issues, I only add my thoughts if they are solicited. This is really a hard and fast rule regarding my children, especially since they are all grown and have every right to make their own decisions. When I keep my opinion to myself until it’s actually asked for, they give it more weight, take it more seriously and actually ask for it quite often.

So, why am I having such a hard time keeping my yap shut this time? This person is simply dragging his feet, refusing to act on a matter that could affect his finances for the rest of his life, and not in a good way. It’s not that he doesn’t have options, he does and they are readily available. He’s simply not taking any action.

If I were my own life coaching client how would I handle this as my coach? Well, I’d probably start by asking a few direct questions.

Q – What is it that you think you can resolve by constantly bringing up this
situation.
A – I would like to motivate him to take positive steps toward resolving this
situation.
Q – Do you have the ability to change the outcome of this situation?
A – No
Q – Is it your responsibility to handle this situation?
A – No
Q – Have you expressed your concern in a calm, rational manner to the person
involved?
A – Yes
Q – What is likely to be the affect on your relationship if you keep bringing this
up this subject?
A – He will stop asking for my advice regarding other situations.
Q – In general, is he responsible? Does he handle his finances and other ‘grown up’
responsibilities well?
A – Yes, he’s generally very responsible.

That last one just wrapped up the question and answer session done for me. The fact is that he is a generally responsible young man, and even if he weren’t, my forcing my opinion on him will not assist him to learn more responsibility.

The truth is that I am the one bringing on my own frustration. I have explored options with him, shown him the benefits and the drawbacks, now it’s up to him to make the decision that is right for him.

I truly have no way of knowing what is in his mind and heart. And it’s none of my business even if I did. It’s time to trust, back off and relax. Sometimes we need to allow others to make mistakes on their own. If he makes a mistake regarding this situation it will be something that he has to deal with, but it may well prevent him from making a much larger mistake in the future.

So, having worked through this, I feel the frustration melting away. I will trust him to make the right decision for his highest good. I have asked him if he minds my sending Reiki to him to help him to make the decision that will serve him the best and then let it go. He’s agreed and I feel as though I am doing what I can to assist him without interfering.

Truly, that’s the only option I have anyway.

My wish for you is that you are able to take positive action steps to change situations that are yours to change. And that you are able to relinquish those that were never yours to begin with.

Warmly,
Sandy

Saying Good-bye

Saturday, April 11th, 2009

I spent time with a friend of mine today, I’ll call her Cindy. Cindy’s mother is dying, Cindy knows it, her mother knows it and the doctors confirm it.

As I chatted with Cindy it was clear to me that she is at peace with the situation. Now don’t get me wrong, Cindy loves her mother and expressed her feeling that sixty-seven is simply too young to expect her mother to die. On the other hand, she told me that she feels her mother is done with life. Recently she has expressed as much, she misses her son who died very young, most of her dear friends have passed and with the exception of her beloved husband, most of her relatives near her age have passed away as well. She misses them dreadfully and feels as though she is simply done with what she was supposed to do here in this life. She’s not depressed; she’s just ready to move on. The disease that is ravaging her body is simply the vehicle that is taking her on this final journey.

Cindy is determined that her mother enjoy the time she has left. Cindy has learned so much from her mother. She was a loving, fun mom to grow up with and has become a trusted friend to the adult Cindy. She showed Cindy that it was possible to not only love her husband but that it was possible to like him and to enjoy being his friend. And now she is teaching Cindy that it is possible to die with grace, dignity and joy.

Unfortunately, Cindy is getting a bit of flak from some people. Apparently there are those who have hinted that Cindy is doing something wrong because she is not crying, wailing constantly and pushing her mother to accept painful treatments that will extend her life, but not improve or even preserve the quality of what is left of her life. So, Cindy asked me for my point of view.

Oh boy. It was time to not only think and feel as Cindy’s friend, but to think this through as the holistic life coach and Reiki master that Cindy knows I am. So, we continued to talk. I asked her how she was dealing with all of this. She told me that she is definitely heartbroken to be saying good-bye to her mother, but that she is saving the tears and grieving for her time with her husband and a few trusted friends. She’s not stuffing her feelings or denying them, simply expressing them to those who know and love her best. Because her mother is determined to enjoy the time left, Cindy is determined to enjoy it with her. She’s told her and will continue to tell her how much she loves her, has enjoyed being her daughter and they talk about the fun they’ve had together. They laugh, tell stories and simply spend time together being happy. Cindy has made it clear to visitors that her mother has requested the time remaining be happy and so she has asked visitors to honor those wishes, in fact she’s insisting on just that. She’s taking special care of her father, again honoring her mother’s wishes and doing what she simply feels is right.

The truth is that both Cindy and her mother are at peace. Her mother is getting ready to meet her God and Cindy is very appreciative of the opportunity to spend this time with her before she passes, she’s now learning how to say good-bye to loved ones and to die with grace, dignity and joy.

Before I left, I gave Cindy a long hug, told her that I would pray for her, her mother and all of her family and friends and I thanked her. While Cindy is learning one more lesson from her mother, she is teaching many of the rest of us as well.

I hope that if I’m ever faced with a similar situation that I am able to move through it with the same peaceful heart, love and gratitude that is demonstrated by Cindy and her mother.

This week, I wish you all the opportunity to express your love and gratitude for the special friends and relatives in your life. I am grateful for Cindy and I thank her for the lesson of love and gratitude.

Warmly,
Sandy

Who Knew?

Wednesday, October 29th, 2008

Good or kind deeds. If we give it some thought we might think of the Boy Scout offering to help the elderly lady across the street. That qualifies!

Do you know what these deeds accomplish? So much more than you may immediately realize. When a good deed is done the serotonin levels rise, this is the ‘happy’ chemical in the brain and the immune system is strengthened. Who does this happen to? Who reaps these amazing benefits? The recipient as we may well expect, but also the person who is offering the kindness.

Wait! It gets better!!! Not only do the recipient and receiver realize these valuable boosts but every single person who observes the kindness also gets this amazing boost.

Now this may well be the Boy Scout and the elderly lady, but it can be any kindness or good deed. Helping the small child to tie his shoes, offering a hug to someone that is down, picking up someone’s keys when they’ve dropped them, or of course paying college tuition for a total stranger would also qualify.

So, in this hurried world, take time to offer kindnesses, small deeds. We all reap the benefits.

Wishing you a fabulous day, noticing and appreciating kindness and good deeds.

Warmly,
Sandy

Politics are heating up.

Saturday, October 4th, 2008

Here in Wisconsin, folks are taking this presidential election very seriously, but not always respectfully.

Yesterday I was outside when my neighbor called me over to the fence. He was grinning and shaking his head from side to side. Laughing he told me that ‘Some stole my ‘candidate’ yard sign!’ He continued to chuckle as he explained that the culprit had just wasted his time; he was going to go and get another one right away. Then he got a bit more serious. He began to tell me how he feels that people need to understand and respect one another’s points of view in our country. He and his lovely wife are from another country; they came to the United States as a young couple and worked hard to become citizens. He served many years in the Air Force and she is a teacher. They raised two great kids who are now adults. This gentleman went on to say what a privilege it is that we get to choose, how he feels we need to have constructive discussions about what our options are and to support one another. He told me that one of his children will vote for one candidate and the other child for the opposition. He is so proud of both of them for taking the opportunity to learn what the candidates stand for and then voting their conscience. In short, while he supports his candidate adamantly, he supports positive respect for each candidate most of all. Needless to say, he doesn’t need any lesson from this life coach.

Ironically last night I got a visit from a woman I’ve known almost all of my life. She brought up the election as well; I think she had noticed the ‘candidate’ sign in my yard. While we were chatting, she asked my why I had made my selection and if I was steadfast in that decision. It turns out that she is truly undecided at this point. This is a very smart woman, however she does not read very well. Because she wants to make a wise decision about the election she has been watching interviews on television, taking note of the advertisements and trying to ask other people what their viewpoint is and why. Unfortunately, for the most part she has received a pretty poor response. She told me that some people have actually shouted at her for even considering the candidate they are not supporting. Still, she persists in trying to learn as much as she can. Of course I saw this as a great opportunity to share what information I have about each candidate, and explained once again that my viewpoint is undoubtedly biased as I have made my decision. We talked about options for quite some time and I’m so happy to say she feels justified in trying to have civil conversations about politics with people that she respects, and she will continue to do so. Congrats to her for trying to educate herself while she makes a decision. She is taking positive action and I love that I was able to be a small part of that action.

Both of these wonderful people have offered a valuable lesson. They each feel powerful responsibility to make good choices. Each knows and believes that they will share and learn the most, if they are respectful and positive. They continue to share the belief with everyone else they speak to.

I’m very proud to know both of these wonderful people.

My wish for you is that you are surrounded and uplifted by respectful, positive, fabulous people.

With warmth,
Sandy

Choose Kindness

Monday, September 22nd, 2008

Think back a moment. All the way back to when you were a small child. When we were heard to say something that was hurtful, we probably heard our Mom tell us ‘If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.’ Mom was a great life coach! And as is often the case, she was right for many reasons.

When we say something hurtful, mean or vicious we are directing it at someone but it reflects directly on us. The person we are criticizing may or not be there in person, but the impression is usually a lasting one. The impression that we are unkind and sometimes even petty. Why? Because what we say is always about us, not the person we are talking about.

Simple coaching lesson here, everything I say is about me, nothing I say is about you. What does that mean? If I compliment you on the beautiful yard you have landscaped it’s true that I’m trying to convey my appreciation of your talents. It’s really about how I feel and my point of view. Who knew? Yes, it’s true that I want you to feel good, appreciated and respected, but again, that’s about what I want, isn’t it? If you do feel good, appreciated and respected then I in turn feel good because I brought that about. My comments are about me, not you.

By the same token, if I criticize you, tell you that you yard is untidy and makes the neighborhood look shoddy, what and who do you think this is really about? It would appear that it’s about you and that’s certainly what you will feel like, but if you step back and think about it, in reality I am telling you that your yard bothers me, and that I feel like I am being damaged. But by being harsh and possibly even cruel I have hurt you and made the distinct impression that I am a very unpleasant person. Is anything positive accomplished in this manner? I think not.

So, let’s take a moment and think about it. If it turns out that everything I say is in reality about me and is indeed a reflection of me, I need to make some choices here. What did Mom tell me? How can I put it into action? Kindness. It’s just that easy isn’t it? It’s easy to be kind when we want to convey something positive, such as complimenting the neighbor on their lovely landscaping. But, is there a kind way to deal with the neighbor that let’s their yard be somewhat shoddy? I think so.

It begins with a smile. I absolutely guarantee you that anything you have to say to me I will hear more easily if you smile when you say it. Find something to compliment. So you think the neighbors’ yard is a disaster and it makes you a bit crazy because you can see the weeds oozing into your yard. There’s a good chance that going over and yelling is only going to result in a shouting match or possibly a black eye. Try going over with a smile and a friendly comment or two. You break the ice and offer kindness. As you chat with this neighbor you may find that you have more in common that you know. Who knows what is going on in this person’s life? It’s possible that there are reasons for the oozing weeds, maybe they are overwhelmed with work, someone may be ill in their house, and they simply may not know or care about the weeds. We had a neighbor who grew their own bumper crop of dandelions…ugh. I made myself crazy about it because I was so proud of my weed-free yard. It turned out that they really didn’t know what to do about the weeds weren’t very bothered by them and were just too busy to deal with them in any case. As we chatted over a few friendly visits I invited her to my yard, she would comment on the flowers or play area for the kids. These were my opportunities to say how grateful I was that we didn’t have a lot of prickly weeds in the areas the kids played, that mulch controlled weeds in the flowers easily, etc. In short, instead of criticizing her yard I shared my thoughts and efforts about my yard. Eventually, she got the message, I think because it was friendly. Their yard never became weed-free. But she tried to keep them manageable and I always made a point of telling her how nice her yard looked. She felt good, I was happier.

Our kids, partners, even our pets all respond to kindness much easier then harshness. Screaming and yelling at a 6 year old little boy to stop bouncing on the couch will probably on result in him crying and starting to bounce again in a few minutes. Giving him a pillow on the floor and asking him to bounce on it instead and applauding his efforts is more likely to keep his sanity and mine. Shouting at my dog for barking at the leaves in the yard will only result in him running away from me and barking at me. Diverting his attention with a happy voice and giving him something else to do is much more likely to result in us both being happier and a bit less frustrated. I’m sure you get the idea. Take a deep breath, smile and remember that everything you say is truly a reflection of you. Try kindness.

Kindness feels good. It’s really that simple. When I am kind to you, I feel good and there’s a good chance you do too. So listen to the coach here, be nice to someone today. It works.

Wishing you a day of practicing kindness, I know it will make you feel fabulous and I’m sure those around you will notice and appreciate your efforts.

With warmth,
Sandy

Subtle or direct, what works for you?

Saturday, September 13th, 2008

My eldest son recently married a wonderful young woman. While we were chatting one day she mentioned something about my son not always picking up subtle hints. I suggested giving up on the hints and taking a more direct approach, state exactly what she would like him to do. They are discovering so much about each other and realizing they each have slightly different ways of communicating. They’re working at figuring it out; I think they’ll be fine. That’s both the mom in me and the life coach speaking.

Since that little chat, I have given this a lot of thought. It’s occurred to me that a lot of aggravation and disappointment is caused by this simple type of misunderstanding. If she keeps dropping hints and he never acts on them, her feelings may be hurt and then she could very likely become angry because she thinks that he is simply being inconsiderate. From his point of view, he thinks all is well. After all, no one has informed him of anything different. Oh maybe she’s feeling a bit grumpy, but he asked if anything was bothering her and she said no, so it must be that she needs a nap. Ug

Time for a bit of life coaching here. It’s really pretty basic and so simple that you already know what I’m going to say, I’m sure.

They need to have a little talk about communication styles. It needs to be out loud, in actual words, face to face and preferably with smiles on their faces. She probably needs to bite the bullet and simply be more direct with him. For example, instead of piling all of his dirty socks on top of his favorite baseball cap, thinking this will convince him to put them in the clothes hamper, she probably needs to ask him to put them in the hamper. For his part, he needs to make an actual effort to communicate clearly as well and also when he is really not clear about what are probably hints…ask! Again with a smile. Think of how much aggravation will be avoided.

I found that when my boys grew up and moved away from home I missed them. Who knew? While I had told them I would appreciate hearing from them often the truth is that their idea of often and mine were incredibly different. I found myself missing them and wanting to hear from them more frequently. How did I fix this? My solution was to phone and leave a message, telling me that I need to hear them tell me how much they loved, adored and missed me and that when they had done this I wouldn’t call them for another week or so. Within a day or two I would get a call from a smiling boy (you can always hear the smile over the phone) and he would tell me just what I needed to hear. I do the same thing with my husband. If I’m feeling a bit neglected, I simply ask him to tell me that he loves me, how fabulous he thinks I am and how lucky we are to be together. He will smile and repeat everything that I have asked him to say, what a great guy! I’m happy because I know he means it, he’s happy because he knows that he’s given me exactly what I needed at the moment. We’re both feeling happy and no one is feeling neglected or misunderstood.

My point here is that as nice as it would be for us to communicate through hints and clues, for many of us it simply is not all that effective. In this day of very busy lives, we often don’t have the luxury of face to face communication. In the past we did have that luxury and so much of our communication was body language, hints and subtleties were much more easily understood. Since we now rely on phone calls, emails and quick little chats with one another, we need to be sure that we are easily understood. When we speak calmly, clearly and directly we are much more likely to have our needs and desires understood and that makes it much more likely they will be met.

Please clearly understand, I wish you a fabulous day,
Sandy

A little help from your friends

Tuesday, August 19th, 2008

It’s important to surround yourself with people who are supportive of your goals, whatever those goals may be. If you want to drop a few pounds, you would be wise to avoid people who exist solely on potato chips and sweets. You know that would be setting yourself up to fail, so you simply don’t do it.

Look around you for your own life coach. This could be your spouse, parent, child, friend, someone you know from the workplace, etc. The key is to be sure that this person sees your goal in the same light and is completely supportive, positive and reassuring.

This is also a great opportunity to connect with someone you may want to get to know better or simply spend more time with. If you are trying to loose those couple of pounds, perhaps a co-worker would like to spend part of lunch time walking. Or taking a bike ride every evening with your child. If you find that person who is also trying to accomplish the same goal you have taken your first step. Keep this time spent together positive. When this time is upbeat you will find yourself looking forward to the activity, making it much more likely that you will continue the activity. Share with your friend or ‘coach’ exactly what you are trying to accomplish and be sure that you are an inspiring, positive coach for your partner as well.

There’s nothing we can’t accomplish if we have the right attitude and surround ourselves with people who share the same vision.

Wishing you a fabulous day as you discover the wonderful coaches already in your life.

With warmth,
Sandy