Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Purging Notes from the Purse

Well, it's springtime again, or should I say finally? Springtime brings with it spring cleaning. Not only does one perform the back-breaking intensive garage cleanout, but one also takes care of the smallest of details to unclutter one's mind in time for the nice weather.

As I was pondering this exact topic, I came to the realization that not only was my "hurricane-hit" desks (yes, I have two, but it doesn't help) are suffering from paper regurgitation, but also my purse is literally bursting at its seams, ready to spew out its contents of papyrus. So, here I sit passing the time away, waiting for doctors, waiting for my car to be fixed, waiting for something...and contemplating my poor bloated purse.

Now, it's quite an art and acrobatic manoevre to open one's purse (and mine is tiny for the exact reason that I do not like to amass copious amounts of notes, receipts, sticky pages--you get the picture), but yet I do. Furthermore, precisely because I cannot control my intake of papers is why I do this annual purging ritual. It must be done properly because many a time, I had the contents totally organized in a nice straight line like attentive soldiers only to be told that my car has been repaired. Then, I must drop exactly what I am doing and squish back the pieces of paper into my miniscule purse.

So, basically my suggestion is to bite off what one can chew. Only bring enough papers that one can manage in a reasonable period of time. Also, one will get a greater feeling of accomplishment by performing many small tasks than allowing gratification to be put off at the end of a truly momentous one! Unless you are a saint--and there aren't too many of them around.

So, here I sit purging the contents of my purse, writing the contents of my puny sticky notes onto my calendar, bankbook, journalizing page, and so forth. Oh oh, I hear a loudspeaker announcing a blurry version of my name. I hope I can stuff all this information into my black bag before the store takes it next customer. Please feel free to supply your tips to purging notes from your purses. It seems to me that this event takes far too long, and is done far too infrequently. So while the trees are budding and flowers are blooming, let's devote time to purse cleaning! Hurrah!

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Attitude of Gratitude

When I first enrolled in "The Law of Attraction" course, I was told to keep a log of events for which I should be grateful. It seemed to me that ungratefulness would pull negative energy towards oneself. Even if the most trivial of matters puts a smile on one's face for this one should be grateful.

Thinking about it made me want to give you a humourous example of my gratitude at an event that transpired today. As I waited at a stoplight ready to turn left, in my mind I wished it would be an advanced green. However, this light is seemingly never an advanced green, so my chances to turn immediately upon green would be pretty slim. I surveyed the solid line of traffic facing me, and entered the intersection. Much to my surprise, a woman with a shopping cart (can you believe it?) crossed the intersection on a red light. She blocked the facing traffic with her body and the cart, which allowed me to turn left. Who says not to be thankful for "small miracles".

So, what I'd like you to do is to recollect any small or large events that made you smile, and for which you are grateful. Doing that will bring you inner peace as well as tranquility, and believe it or not, lower your blood pressure. You don't have to do it for me, but you should do it for yourself.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Be Yourself, Only Better!

So much rhetoric has been perpetuated about the idea that inside every individual is a better individual dying to get out. It has been discussed ad nauseum that individuals second guess themselves and sabotage their well-intentioned efforts. Why is human nature so cruel, you may ask. That is the nature of the beast. Over centuries, no, millenia of conditioning, the human animal has been taught to work hard, that nothing is worth anything unless it has been a hard-fought battle. If things come too easily, then perhaps they are cheap; or even worse, perhaps we are fraudulent souls and have somehow obtained ill-gotten gains. Furthermore, if anyone found out about our genuine nature, they would surely discount our being. Does this sound familiar? Well, it doesn't have to be your philosophy of life. At Empowerment Coaching Academy, we have been aligning clients' talents and strengths with their desired and intended outcomes. We use a special process that enables the clients to break down the barriers described above. We are successful in letting the better individual come out, and once it does, there is no turning back!

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Be True to Yourself

I believe that the key to success is being true to oneself. I had the lovely occasion to attend a wonderful Roaring Women meeting today in Burlington, Ontario. The women entrepreneurs were so passionate about their businesses, it was amazing to watch. I felt pride when I heard them discuss the surmountable challenges they overcame and their dedication to making their businesses work. Each business was described as a child to be lovingly nurtured as he or she matured. Even more special was the guest, Elizabeth Grandbois, who raises awareness for ALS. The amount of passion and purpose she displays is also astounding. Although informal in tone, her presentation inspired all the women who were there. You could really see that she was true to herself. We subsequently went home thinking about what steps we need to take to ramp up our businesses. I took copious notes to apply to my own situation.

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Empower the Empowerer!

One of my New Year's resolutions is to "Empower the Empowerer!"; that is to "Coach the Coach" or "Train the Trainer". I have been extremely busy over the past 11 years designing courseware for my clients, so now it's time for my wonderful Associate Coaches to step in and teach my courses. I am as excited as a mother bird watching her chicks leave the nest. However, the astounding part is that no matter how many people I train, I still need more individuals to help me. There is so much to do and not enough time. I also need some courseware developers to round out my offerings.

I also use "Empower the Empowerer!" to motivate and inspire me. As they say, "physician, heal thyself". One of my other New Year's resolutions (who says we need to have only one) is to lose that last 11 pounds--you know, those pesky pounds that have stayed around my middle for the last 11 years. It is interesting to note that if I lost just one pound a day over the past 11 years, I would now be at my goal weight. Enough said, however, as I use positive self-talk (the same type of talk that I use with my clients) to attain this goal. I will start my diet on January 7, 2008 (Orthodox Christmas) and will end it 10 weeks later, and I hope to lose 11 pounds. Do any one of you want to step up to the plate and challenge me with their own weight loss regime or other resolution? I'd love to hear from you.