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Winding Down 2010

As my middle son reminded me today, there are only 4 days until Christmas. (He’s been keeping a countdown for the past 2 weeks) This is the first time EVER that I’ve been able to stay present and enjoy this last week before the big guy comes down our chimney, and it feels GREAT! Yesterday the kids and I baked 4 different holiday treats. Today I started a new business, and we’re leaving for a minor league hockey game in about an hour or so. Tomorrow we may bake more cookies or do a gingerbread man craft, and a friend is coming over to crochet later in the evening. Thursday is wide open…

Did you notice a theme? No panic, no last minute gift buying. I’m done. Yup. D-O-N-E! The gifts are wrapped and waiting to be placed under the tree after the kids nod off Friday night. Being done early has blessed my life in that I can relax and actually enjoy these days spent with my husband and kids watching Christmas specials and doing the little things that will hopefully be remembered nostalgically by our children when they have their own families.

As 2010 comes to an end, I will continue to slow down and appreciate what’s really important in order to release the stress and rush that’s so easy to fall victim to in the new year. I will spend more time at home, more time focusing on myself and my family.

I would love the opportunity to help you sort out your priorities so you can focus your energy on what REALLY matters to you. Please let me know how my coaching could help you!

Burn out

I sometimes find it easy to lose track of my commitments and attempt to “do it all.” Then I find myself overwhelmed, spread too thin, and unable to function effectively.  Sound familiar?

I have found myself asking, “Am I being congruent in my life?”  Congruency insures our actions follow our thoughts and beliefs.  When I’m not meeting this criteria, I lose track of what’s truly important to me and feel out of sorts.

It’s not always easy to get back on track, but I’ve found writing things down and journaling about my priorities and my commitments very helpful.

Just last week I was feeling behind the eight ball, so I grabbed my notebook and wrote down the many different facets of my life:  marriage, parenthood, home school educator, life coach, gardener, 4-H leader, chicken farmer, etc.  Admittedly the list was a little too long for my liking, so I began to prioritize the roles I play to see which ones mean the most to me.  I also listed my open projects to figure out what was making me feel so bogged down.

After spending a few minutes writing, I realized we had two days of way too many activities back to back.  Lesson learned:  Be aware of commitments and know my limitations.  Next I was able to take a look at what needs my attention most to be able to get some things checked off my list.  As I’ve created an action plan to complete my open projects, I’m able to stay on top of things and feel like I’m back to leading my life instead of letting my life lead me.

Family

I want to help create a world where families truly support each other and allow each individual to be himself or herself. Let’s end the drama, fear, guilt and shame and just love each other. Having a son or daughter who makes choices that may seem unusual to me, doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with that child or something wrong with me. It means that child is creating a life for himself or herself based on what’s true for him or her. We can only guide, nurture and love. Is it really that hard?

Hiding our Feelings

Why do we feel this need to bury our feelings so deep that we sometimes don’t even realize they are still there? Have you ever done that? Maybe somebody said something that hurt your feelings but rather than address the issue, you just sort of blew it off and swept that little sting under the carpet. Maybe something happened in childhood, not even something horrible that we read about or see on the news, something seemingly mundane… a comment your mom or dad made that really struck something in you that made you feel sad, mad, angry, guilty, shameful or any other of a handful of emotions that don’t feel good.

We are emotional beings, spiritual beings by nature. We can feel a multitude of emotions in the blink of an eye, yet we sometimes hide that fact because someone may think we’re weak. We may think of ourselves as weak because aren’t we really our biggest judge?

Hanging onto those feelings, burying them so deeply that we almost forget they are there, does not serve us. We cannot create the things we say we want to create when we are being held down by this emotional anchor. Slow down and feel. Stop judging these emotions; stop judging you for having these emotions. Allow them to roll through you and out of you. Pick up a pen and paper and start writing. Write about these emotions you’ve taught yourself to hold back for so long until you’ve acknowledged them, dealt with them, and forgiven yourself.

You will find yourself lighter and ready to create what you really want in your life.