open letter to all readers

To All of My Newsletter Subscribers:

Hi Folks. Today, I went through the archives of my newsletter and realized it's been nearly a year since I wrote to you. I promise to write more regularly in 2008.

Thousands of you subscribe to this newsletter and I know you count on bits of inspiration and advice from time to time. I've been honored, through the years, to hear from many of you with stories about how one of my articles inspired you to take leaps, change career paths or look at life in a new light.

Many of you also love my honesty. So, let me honestly tell you why I haven't been in a writing mode for the past year. I think my story may actually help some of you, too.

Three years ago, my husband and I packed up our lives to move to Hawaii. Living there was a goal of Jason's and being closer to nature was a strong wish of mine. So, we made the dream come true and decided to experience Hawaii for two years, initially.

While being in beautiful Hawaii was initially very nurturing and fun for me, I soon started to feel like one of the characters from the hit tv show (filmed near my home in Hawaii) Lost. I felt stranded since it was soooooooooo far away from my family and friends. Feeling isolated was a very tough experience for me but it also gave me lots of time and space to think and process emotions, too.

Soon, I learned firsthand that happiness happens when your life is a reflection of your values. Sure, I knew this before but finally had a chance to experience it on a deeper level. Family has always been at the top of my values list. So is 'learning', 'adventure' and 'travel'. With the closest destination via plane about 5-6 hours away (California), going on short trips wasn't as easy as it was from Texas. So, my need for travel started to suffer, too.

Eventually, I realized most of my core values were compromised in Hawaii and that's why my writing scaled back. I quite simply didn't feel as inspired as I did in the past. And, writing requires a lot of creativity, inspiration and discipline...as some of you know!

I tested my theory by taking many trips to Texas this past year and noticed how much better I felt each time. So, for the past year, I've been trying to urge my husband to move back to our home state.

The good news is that, after 3 years in Hawaii, it's finally the right time to return home to Texas. By the way, the secret of a smooth move is to simplify, live lightly (in other words, don't cart lots of junk/stuff from home to home), and enjoy the opportunity to begin anew. Selling some of the furniture in Hawaii was the first step. Since one of my values is "beauty", I LOVE the idea of buying new furniture and creating a whole new look in Texas. It excites me so very much. I think I might've been an interior designer in a past life : )

How does all of this apply to you?

Well, I found myself facing a big fear I've heard so many of YOU talk about during our coaching sessions. "What if I make a big career change, or move or take a big leap and then discover it was a mistake? Then what?" I can't tell you how many times I've heard people admit this deep rooted fear.

Even though I typically approach big changes from a faith perspective (I usually trust and believe things will work out in my favor)... this past year, I started to wonder if moving to Hawaii was a huge mistake. I honestly struggled with that question for quite some time and looked for reasons and signs as to why I was still in Hawaii even though it was soooooooo far away. Shouldn't I be *thrilled* to live in paradise, I thought? Won't it be too much work to move back, I wondered? And, why wasn't I *attracting* the right set of circumstances for us to effortlessly move back the same way we effortlessly moved to Hawaii in the first place?

After lots of prayer and reflection, I started to get answers. In the end, the Hawaii experience and all of the struggles this past year made sense to me. During my morning walks on the beach, I had some incredible conversations with God, too. I'll share some of those insights with you in upcoming articles since I believe many of you will benefit from my experiences.

For now....quite simply, I just wanted to let you know what's up in my world. Living in Texas again has already started my creative juices flowing and I'll be writing much, much more as a result. So, we may go from rarely hearing from your dear 'ol coach Kristin to hearing from me quite a bit. I hope you can adjust since I have lots to share this year about my experiences, insights and coaching advice.

In addition, I'm dedicating the first half of this year to the completion of my KristinCoachCourses.com website and loading up fresh content. I'll announce new courses as they finalize. I am also coaching a select number of one-on-one clients.

Plus, one of my personal goals this year is to go back to my roots and immerse myself in learning and attending workshops on topics that interest me. Yippee!! Sidenote: I searched high and low for cool classes and workshops in Hawaii and was so bummed at the lack of offerings. It now makes me feel VERY grateful for the abundance of EVERYTHING back on the "mainland".

I'm already booked to participate in workshops related to mind/body connection, intuition, meditation, yoga, nutrition and other super-fun topics. I also made sure each workshop would enable me to travel again and experience different parts of the country. I'll share my findings at my KristinCoachCourses.com blog (titled Extra Oomph) along the way.

2007 was the greatest "growth" year for me of all time. Looking back, I see I was in a mode of absorption...soaking it all in, so to speak. So, watch out. I'll have a lot to say this year on a wide variety of topics. I hope you'll stay tuned. Thank YOU for patiently waiting for me to resume my writing again, too.

The first official newsletter of the year, with a feature article, will arrive within the week. I hope you'll enjoy it.

Best wishes for a magical year.

Your coach,

Kristin

ps. If you'd like to share any big news or feedback with me, please feel free to drop me an email. I'd love to hear from you and I do respond to all emails.
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