LIVING OUT YOUR DREAMS Welcome to the September edition of Living Out Your Dreams. We are delighted to welcome to our newsletter this month over 70 new subscribers who come to us literally from all over the world! We hope you enjoy the articles in our newsletter and find them both helpful and insightful in your living out your personal dreams. For those of us in the US and Canada, fall is finally in the air. With the intense heat behind us, it is a time to rejuvenate, open the windows, and maybe revel in some goose bumps! We certainly encourage you to get outside and enjoy these clear, crisp days. For those of you getting ready for spring, it is time to wake up from your winter's hibernation, have yourself a good stretch, and begin to plant your seeds for the upcoming growing season. Our new articles this month focuses on what it takes to make a commitment to your dreams and on listening to the wisdom of your body so that you can use that wisdom in your every day lives. Additionally we will share some of our survey results from the last newsletter and tell you about Stacey's new book! Please pass this newsletter on to anyone you think might enjoy reading it.
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Stacey and Deb IN THIS ISSUE: - THEY SAID IT COULDN'T BE DONE
UPCOMING EVENTS:
THE POWER OF WOMEN'S FRIENDSHIP GROUP -
This group is for women who have not experienced the power of having good women friends to support them in their lives. It is a time to learn to
share yourself, to take some risks, and to learn to develop closeness with
other women in the safety of a small group setting. There is currently one opening in the Monday evening group. For more information please call Deb at 404-320-9548.
DISCOVER YOUR PASSIONS AND CREATE A CAREER YOU LOVE
Next class begins October 13th. Enroll now to reserve your space! You are invited to a 10-week exploration to discover what you want to be when you grow up! In this interactive workshop you will uncover your passions, identify your natural gifts and talents, move through disempowering beliefs that keep you stuck and begin to create exciting and viable career options that honor who you are. For more information, contact Stacey at 770-643-0886 or request email brochure from coach@balancedliving.com HOW TO CREATE A CAREER YOU LOVE - Attend this introductory interactive workshop to learn what the components of a fulfilling career are for you and how to commit to working through obstacles to create a career you love.
Locations and dates::
Borders, Tuesday, September 21st, 7:30 - 9:30pm, 3101 Cobb Parkway, Atlanta St. Johns Lutheran, Friday October 1st, 7:30pm-9:30pm, 1410 Ponce de Leon Ave., Decatur, GA. $10 donation. Benefits Dekalb Parrish Vacation Bible School. For more info call Stacey, 770-643-0886.or mailto:coach@balancedliving.com
ROCKPORT INSTITUTE CAREER TEST: A great test for learning more about your aptitudes, abilities and personality. This 3.5 hour test will give you new insights into your own talents and why certain jobs are a much better fit for you than others. For more info, call Stacey at 770-643-0886.
************************************************************ COMMITTING TO YOUR DREAMS
By Stacey Mayo What does it mean to you to live out your dreams? Do you want to leave a legacy, have a career you love or simply live your life to the fullest? Regardless of what your dreams are, they simply will not happen unless you commit to making them happen. Think about this in relation to your life and the major things you've accomplished in the past. Were you committed to make them happen? I would be surprised if you said anything but yes. There are lots of things we would like in life. I would like to travel around the world. But I have not even started to figure out what it would take to do this as I am not committed to it. Commitments are not hidden somewhere inside of us. They are a choice. I committed to having a satisfying career, to meeting and marrying my soul mate and to writing a book. Those were all choices that I made at different points in my life. I thought about writing this book about 2 years ago. Two weeks ago I committed to writing it and now I am doing it. Now that doesn't mean I won't get stopped along the way. But the power of my commitment can get me past the obstacles to making it happen. (That, along with announcing my intent to the world!) For commitments to be effective in getting you what you really want, they must be a stretch. When I ask career clients what they are committed to, they often say something like "understanding myself better." That will definitely happen in the career coaching process and it is part of what they want, but it isn't really all of what they want. People who come to me for career coaching want to create a satisfying career. However, they often have underlying fears such as, what if it's not possible, what if I can't do it? And so out of fear of failure, people tend to play it safe. Playing it safe will get you insights. But that is all. So I am asking you today, what are you willing to commit to? Is it creating a new career? Leaving a legacy? Starting your own business? Having a great relationship?
Be willing to take a risk and claim it. First say it to yourself. Then tell other people. Don't worry if you don't know how to make it happen. The first step is committing to it. Then your mind will naturally look for ways to make it happen. I'd be happy to be the keeper of your dreams. Email me today at coach@balancedliving.com with what you are committed to. Then go out and tell someone you know who will be unconditionally supportive of you having what you want. ************************************************************* TUNING IN TO OUR BODIES
by Deb Elkin Your body has many messages for you. It tells you when you are tired, when you are tense or overwhelmed, when you are scared, when you are angry, when you are excited - IF you know how to listen to it! When you learn how to listen to your body, life will get easier for you. You will be healthier. You will be happier and more clear headed. You will live more honestly and with more personal integrity in your life. You will make better decisions. And you will be more at peace with yourself because you are listening to and responding to yourself. That will generate more self-respect. Listening to your body means you must give yourself time to be present to it, take time to breathe into it, and learn how to read its messages. It doesn't require a lot of time. More, it requires familiarity with how your body talks to you, what its language is. Many of us have "disconnected" from our bodies. We ignore them. We don't take care of them. Sometimes we even forget that we live in a body! And when we do this, we leave an important piece of ourselves behind. How does that happen that we so ignore and disregard our "home"? (Our body is our home you know.) Sometimes the hecticness of our every day lives keeps us so busy, so "in our heads", that it doesn't even occur to us to think about or feel our body. Sometimes we don't much like our body, and so we choose to ignore it. And sometimes, our growing up experiences
(from abuse to shaming messages we got about our body or about who we are), have made us feel uncomfortable and that it is not safe to live consciously in our body. Reclaiming life in your body can be quite a challenge! It can be scary. It can be quite exciting. It certainly may be unfamiliar. Sometimes we may need the help of a counselor or therapist to help create enough safety to go back inside. So how do you begin to reclaim and re-inhabit your body? You know those headaches and stomach aches you get? That's your body talking to you. High blood pressure, knots in your stomach, clenched teeth, chronic shoulder, neck or back pain, feeling run down or exhausted, lethargy, difficulty focusing or paying attention, constant illnesses - these are ALL ways in which your body is trying to tell you something. It is letting you know that it isn't happy with someone or something in your life. So your first job is to begin to learn how your body typically talks to you.
Once you get familiar with that "language", then it's time to figure out exactly what it is your body is trying to tell you. And from there, you can figure out what it is you want to or need to do about it. For me, one of my sure fire messages that there is something wrong is that my chest gets very tight. When that happens, I've learned that it usually means I am scared about something. Knowing that, I can figure out what's got me scared and then decide what I want to do about it. It may be about taking a particular action or it may simply be that I need to reassure the scared kid inside of me that I'll protect her and she's going to be OK. So begin to get familiar with how your body speaks to you. Some ways will be obvious. Others will reveal themselves over time. What's most important is that you continue to pay attention. Begin to notice if there is a theme or pattern to what you feel when that particular "symptom" shows itself to you. Then pay attention to who or what has you unhappy or stressed or angry in your life. Know that it may be a current situation or it may be something old and unfinished that is resurfacing. And finally, decide what needs to happen to "alleviate the pain." A friend of mine today was telling me today about a very important decision she is trying to make, and her words were, "My body is screaming at me!". What her body was screaming was, "Don't do it!" Her body clearly knew what her head did not. Your body carries an innate wisdom, a gut knowing, about what is right or wrong for you. When you live in your body and learn to listen to its messages, you become more fully present to yourself and you live more fully and consciously in the world. ************************************************************* THEY SAID IT COULDN'T BE DONE
By Stacey Mayo In the article above I referenced a book I am writing. The working title of my new book is "They Said It Couldn't Be Done". It will be a compilation of stories of women who have overcome obstacles and adversity to live out their dreams. I will include stories of well-known people as well as everyday folks. After each story, I will include an analysis of the lessons to be learned from that person and how you can apply it in your own life. I am currently accepting submissions or suggestions of women you would like to see included in the book. You can recommend others or yourself. I am limiting the stories to women, because I believe we need more women role models. In starting my research, I found it easy to find male role models but women role models are not nearly as visible yet. The types of stories I am seeking are those of female entrepreneurs, musicians, artists, entertainers, philanthropists, spiritual or religious leaders, politicians, athletes, people who made a career change after age 60, women who left successful careers to stay at home and raise their family. Each person should be passionate about what they do and have overcome obstacles to make it happen. Please submit the name of the person, a brief blurb about her and why you think she would be a good story for this book. Feel free to submit names of people you know as well or those you've admired from afar. Men are more than welcome to submit suggestions as well. I cannot promise to use all your suggestions but will carefully consider each one. Please submit them to Stacey at coach@balancedliving.com Thanks in advance for your help in making this a truly great book which will inspire and help people live out their dreams for generations to come. ************************************************************* READER SURVEY RESPONSE
by Deb Elkin I want to thank those of you who responded to the survey from our last newsletter and shared with me what it is that brings you pleasure in your lives. There were many themes - specific activities, special time shared with others, ways to self-care and generally how to take in the pleasures of life. I will share many of them with you over the next few months. I suggest you read them slowly - think about each one, really take them in - and see what may resonate with you or what new ideas they may trigger for you. Remember, we can expand our every day happiness by expanding the range of pleasures we rely on to bring us fulfillment. I hope these lists will give you some new ideas for getting happy! From one of our readers:
Ten things that bring me happiness:
1. Photography - even if you have no aspirations of being published, there is
always a sense of mystery and excitement associated with "getting that roll of prints" back. You can start out slow. There are numerous wonderful "how-to" books on photography. And contrary to popular opinion, you can create some amazing images with modest, affordable camera equipment. 2. Camping, particularly on Cumberland Island (the southernmost barrier island on the Georgia Intracoastal Waterway). This is the closest thing to paradise I've found. And being in nature for extended periods of time gets us back in touch with our most basic survival and spiritual instincts. 3. Creating compilation tapes or CDs with your favorite musical selections.
This gives each individual a chance to be creative. And when you listen back to the creation, it's exciting to hear the way one tune transitions into and plays off the others. 4. Decorating your living space. Even if you make only slight modifications (painting, plants, rearranging furniture) it can have a tremendous impact on how "at peace" you feel at home. 5. Cooking. As a child and young adult, I felt that cooking was a chore only
mothers undertook to feed the family. Of course, the bevy of gourmet channels and cooking shows have changed most people's attitudes about this. But I have found that by actually picking out the ingredients and methodically preparing the selections, that I actually experience a sort of meditative, trance-like state. And then there's always the food to enjoy when your finished. Clean up later if that stops you. 6. Short Road Trips. If you hate to drive, see if a friend would be willing.
It's always interesting and mind-expanding to visit new places, even if in your home state. Out-of-the-way diners are always interesting for "local color." 7. Volunteer for something you believe very, very strongly in. This brings
profound joy. 8. Write letters to friends. Yes, e-mail is great and the phone allows you to
hear their voice, but letters are more intimate and allow you to say things
you might not on the phone. And they are more tangible than an e-mail. When I get a letter from a friend, I know that they touched it before me. 9. Go to the library. There are so many periodicals to thumb through. And
you don't have to buy them if you don't think they're worth keeping. Libraries are also nice environments. 10. Rent old movies. I have a book from Blockbuster Video of the greatest
movies of all time. It lists academy award winning or nominated movies from the past 50 years or so. These really do tend to be the best movies from years back, because there were no other awards categories like the Cannes, Sundance, etc. then. Despite the less-than-perfect film quality and more gingerly treatment of subject matter, some of these movies resonate much more with me than current films. ************************************************************ RESOURCES YOU CAN USE:
POWERQUOTES: There are lots of inspirational quotes that you can have delivered to your mailbox everyday but this service is by far, the best I've seen. Powerquotes offers a quote and questions for readers to reflect on each week day. The questions have you actually reflect on the quote and how you can apply it to your life that day.
Here is an example:
"It's hard to wring my hands when I am busy rolling up my sleeves."
- Linda Geraci
Questions to Ponder:
What situation in my life right now would improve if I would stop
worrying and start working?
What can I do now? To have these wonderful quotes delivered to your inbox go to http://discian.com/powerquote.htm ************************************************************* OPTIMIZE! The Journal for Optimal Living is a monthly FREE newsletter with regular columns on Personal, Career and Health Strategies, Quote of the Month, Tips on achieving your Goals, Reminders about Living Positively, Links to Motivational, Inspirational and Useful sites that will assist you in achieving success. Subscribe at mailto:subscribe-olm@optimalu.com. Visit our websites: http://www.breakthroughcenter.com,
http://www.optimalu.com ************************************************************* If something in this newsletter resonates with you and you would like
support moving forward with it, Deb and Stacey are available for consultation. As your career and personal coach, Stacey will partner with you to help you
clarify and make your dreams a reality. To set up a free phone
consultation and find out if coaching is right for you, contact Stacey at
mailto:coach@balancedliving.com or call 770-643-0886. Phone and in-person coaching as well as career testing is available.
http://www.balancedliving.com
Deb is available for private sessions to help work through the unresolved
issues of your life and brings a spiritual perspective to this healing
process. For a free 30 minute consultation or for an appointment (by phone
or in person), you can reach her at 404-320-9548 or email her at
delkin@mindspring.com
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Copyright 1999, Center for Balanced Living Inc., and Winged Spirit, Inc. *************************************************************
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