Monday, July 31, 2006

Changing Seasons

I know it's only the end of July. I haven't lost my mind by writing about the changing of the seasons, I promise! I went biking at the Virginia Creeper Trail this past weekend and on our shuttle up the mountain, the driver stopped by an oak tree that was already starting to change colors. We all commented on how early it was. It seemed odd for the leaves to be changing already. He said it does this every year. Maybe it knows something we don't.

We all change seasons at different times in our lives. Some people are considered 'old souls.' Some are late to bloom. Where do you fall? What would happen if you had changed seasons sooner or later? What season of your life are you eager to enter into?

I'm featuring this thought as a full length article in my next e-newsletter. Sign up for FREE at: www.energizeyourmoment.com

Coach Katie

Monday, July 24, 2006

Morning Monologue: Get A Move On

Morning Monologue: Get A Move On

Get A Move On

There's a lot of waiting in life. One of my favorite quotes is by Joseph Campbell: "Life is not a problem to be solved, but a mystery to be experienced." So much of our waiting game makes up that mystery. Things don't happen the way we want, or even expect, them to. All we can do is put ourselves in line with our values and set the path in front of us. What we encounter along that path is our mystery.

My request from you today is to get a move on. What do you want most? What makes you unhappy? What do you wish would happen? Give yourself a little control to set your path in motion. Start taking steps toward dissolving those things in your life that cause you discomfort and start adding to the pile of fun, meaningful and cherished moments.

What story continues to run through your head? Are you unhappy with your job? Unhappy with where you are living? Unhappy with your relationships? Do you want to visit Key West? Do you want to take a month off? Do you want to talk to that cute guy at the coffee shop? Do you want to work in a completely different field?

Get your momentum going in full force! Set your goal, set your action steps to align yourself with that goal and go after it. Start walking down that path and see what mysterious coincidences help you along the way. You never what is just around the corner-but you have to be open to seeing it! I talk a lot about awareness and this is key for today's blog. Being aware helps you to notice the little signs that point you toward your goal. It's like driving down a highway. How often do you notice the signs pointing to different destinations unless you are looking for them? Not often.

Follow your heart. Listen to your intuition. Look for the signs. Begin your journey, even if it's scary.

Wake Up and Get a Move On Today!!
Coach Katie

Friday, July 14, 2006

All Worked Up

STRESS! It's summertime and everyone wants to be outside playing, not inside working. I've been hearing a lot of my clients, friends and family talk about how stressed they are. Everything is piling up right about the time we want some freedom. Is it more work or is it the hunger to get out of the office, away from the kids and out into the sunshine?

I think we each want to experience new things in the summer, too. We say yes more, we sign up for more, we ask more of ourselves and we take more chances. All of these cause stress because our time is then limited. Use your judgement before you say yes to everything regarding the amount of stress it will cause you in the long run.

I've talked about abundance before and I think it's important to bring it up again here. Having an abundance of time and energy in the summer is the best gift you can give yourself. Try to plan your PTO days so you have a few extra during the summer months, work hard to wrap up your projects in a timely manner instead of sitting on them. Stop daydreaming and get to work! Take some time in the middle of the day to step outside and take a quick walk around the building or make a phone call. The sun will warm you right up and give you a bit more energy to make it through the rest of the day.

When you are able to go outside and do what you love to do, don't take it for granted. Relish the moment. Take an active role in the perfection of those few precious hours that you are carefree. Drink them up, remember them. So often the time passes us by before we know it and we don't feel like we really took account of how special it was.

When you are super stressed, find something to represent how centered you can be. Use it to bring yourself back to the fact that your stress level in temporary and if you remain calm, everything will find a way of completing itself. This can be a small stretch in the middle of the day, a mantra or a touch stone.

Enjoy the summer days and make some time to kick back, relax and enjoy!
Coach Katie

Friday, July 07, 2006

Tiny Miracles




From a small book I own called Simple Wisdom comes this quote:

"Miracles surround us at every turn if we but sharpen our perceptions of them." -Willa Cather, writer

Use your perception today. Really see those miracles all around. Understand the miracle of a child reaching up for their parents' hand, the vegetable that a seed produces or the wisdom that made the internet possible. Wrap your mind around the gift you've been given to hear your friends laugh, to taste the food that you eat and to smell the summer air. Relish the moment that allows you to feel comfortable in your own skin.

I challenge you to find the small ones that often go unnoticed. What are your miracles today?

Have a great weekend,
Coach Katie

Tuesday, July 04, 2006

An Inconvenient Truth




Last night I was moved.

I want to share with you today the powerful impact a movie had on me. I hope you will consider seeing it for yourself. I hope you will consider making at least one change in the way you live to help this problem. An Inconvenient Truth is a movie bringing awareness to the growing issue of global warming on our society and the world. Al Gore does a superb job bringing this movie in front of those who need to see it – US. We are the problem and we are the solution.

Our inconvenient truth is that we are ruining this planet. It is a truth that we are all aware of. With every piece of trash we throw away, every tank of gas we fill up with, every hot day we turn our air conditioners on. We are aware of our creature comforts. We CHOOSE to ignore them, abuse them and convince ourselves that we are too small to do anything.

We are small. We are each one person. We each contribute to the effects of emissions and carbon dioxide used each year. TOGETHER we make a difference in the dissolving health of this planet. TOGETHER we can make a difference to begin changing our habits. TOGETHER we can make this planet healthy again.

I will leave the frightening statistics for Al Gore to share with you. I will tell you this – we cannot ignore this issue. It will affect us in our lifetime. It will affect our families and our children. This is not something we can ignore and eventually die wondering what impact we had. We will find discomfort in the coming years because of the state of our planet. How much discomfort are we willing to endure now to avoid the massive changes we are destined to see if we do nothing?

Please see this movie. Please help spread the word. Please start with you.

On a smaller scale, to tune this in to coaching, think about your own inconvenient truths. What are you avoiding now because it will hurt to face it? Is it a toxic relationship? A suffocating job? Fear? Loneliness? Wasteful nature? What is your inconvenient truth? Be honest. Plant the seed now in your soul – a brutally honest seed that you are harming yourself in the long run by not acting now. It hurts to remove the issue, but are the lasting effects negative in the long run? Are they negative in the short term if they continue?

What is your first step to move past this? Sometimes it is like ripping off a bandaid. Sometimes it is a slow removal. Do what works best for you, but don't stop until the problem is solved. Enlist friends and family. Put up notes to remind yourself. Journal. LIVE your life without the band aids. You don't need the crutch. You are strong enough, I promise. It starts with you. Make the choice, change the habits, create the flow of easy habits to continue moving forward.

My personal encouragement in the mountains. My desire to be in the mountains, to keep them pure, to keep them a healthy escape will spur me foward to make changes in my life to help this global warming problem. I will help spread the word. I will change my habits (http://www.climatecrisis.net/ see the Take Action link to see what you can do as well). I will continue to tell people about this movie. I will do my part. My hope is that people take this problem seriously and do believe that they can start the momentum for this problem to begin healing. Help it along won't you?

In action and with passion,
Coach Katie