So often it is the simple wonders that fall in the shadows of the steep expectations we hold for our self and the way we think the world should work.

I am sure not to be the only one who experiences that whatever task I undertake or project I agree to, it consistently takes two to three times as long as I anticipate to accomplish my intended goal.

You think we would get smart enough to do better at time management by planning for these certain realities, accepting that it always takes longer. But no, instead we judge ourselves and compress life, not wanting to ‘drop a ball’ or say ‘no’ to anything.

Can we be happy even at these times? Expanding compassion and patience, not for the outer world or others, but for ourselves seems to be the key to happiness until we can adjust our perception of time and surrender to and trust in Divine Order.

It is important not to miss the simple wonders in our hurry to force life along. So today, amidst looming project due dates (I refuse to call them dead-lines) and having more on my plate than I have allowed time for, I choose to take the time to notice that the sun is out for the first time in days, delight that I heard my grandson giggle over the phone, and show gratitude for the simple wonders, big and small, that reconnect me to the perfection in mis-perfection today.

WHAT DO YOU PERCEIVE AS THE SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD? 
by Author Unknown

A group of students was asked to list what they thought were
the present ‘Seven Wonders of the World.’ Though there were
some disagreements, the following received the most votes:

1. Egypt’s Great Pyramids 
2. Taj Mahal 
3. Grand Canyon 
4. Panama Canal 
5. Empire State Building 
6. St. Peter’s Basilica 
7. China’s Great Wall

While gathering the votes, the teacher noticed that one quiet student hadn’t turned in her paper yet. So she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list. The girl replied, ‘Yes, a little. I couldn’t quite make up my mind  because there were so many.’

The teacher said, ‘Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help.’

The girl hesitated, then read, ‘I think the ‘Seven Wonders of the World’ are:

1. to see 
2. to hear 
3. to touch 
4. to taste 
5. to feel 
6. to laugh 
7. and to love.

The room was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop.

The things we overlook as simple and ordinary and that we take for granted are truly wondrous!  Be grateful for simple things!

Special credit for this blog post goes to Rhonda Hall, founder of The Center for Happiness. Be sure to learn more about Rhonda and her work at www.driveyourselfhappy.com.

Do you notice what’s going on in and around you? Are you alert to life?

Years ago I went to training to learn how to prepare relevant talks for my audiences. Florence Littauer, published author and founder of CLASServices shared this concept with our group. It has served me well over the years, not just in creating training material, but also in other facets of my work and life.

Let me share an example that might be helpful, especially for those of you working as Mompreneurs. One area of my personal and professional life that I am exploring and nurturing is my creativity. I haven’t exercised this muscle in years so it’s time for some training!

As I’ve become “alert to life” in this area, I have become aware and paying attention to how my daughter expresses herself creatively. She’s started to design clothes and draws pictures of dresses she wants to make. She’s already a huge fan of coloring and drawing but her creativity doesn’t stop there. She’s brilliant when it comes to building things with Lego’s, Tinker Toys and more. She’s definitely got me beat when it comes to science, math and spatial ability!

Being aware of this has been helpful on many levels. It’s teaching me about creativity, it’s revealing more about my daughter’s strengths and it has provided a connection point for our relationship as we “create” together. It’s also allowing me to integrate my life and business as I explore creativity for my work in The Leadership Collaborative. Bottom line is that I feel alive, on purpose and whole!

So how about you? When you become alert to life what do you notice? What’s hear for you to teach, speak or write about?

The larger story is that being “alert to life” awakens you. You become “present” in the moment which brings value personally and professionally.

Will you try this today? Become alert to life and share your comments at the blog. There’s a gift awaiting when you do.

“Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That’s why we call it ‘The Present’.” — Eleanor Roosevelt

I was unplugged for the week of Spring Break and had visions of relaxing and taking it easy. A girl can dream right? I really thought that stepping away from technology would take me to the “lazy and slow moving” part of the river of life. Maybe for others but not for me, at least not during this break!

I actually ended up on the “fast and furious” side of the metaphorical river of life as I sat in the Urgent Care office with my daughter. We eventually received news that she broke her wrist playing basketball so needless to say the coaching skill of “reframing” has helped me navigate the unexpected in a healthy and life giving way.

It’s amazing how powerful reframing can be when something unforeseen happens. In our need for structure in an ever changing world, it’s a “practical” and “tactical” tool that can help you keep a healthy perspective as you navigate the often unplanned happenings and organic nature of life. According to the Coaches Training Institute the term reframing involves “providing a client with another perspective so the information or situation can be interpreted in a different way.”

So that’s exactly what I decided to do! Instead of seeing this situation as an interruption to my relaxing break, I have chosen to embrace the new morning routine that has come out of the situation since my daughter needs extra help. It’s actually ironic that our old morning ritual was creating chaos in our lives, so her broken wrist has actually provided us with an opportunity to do things differently.

For encouragement, a colleague of mine sent me a copy of the picture included with this post. Now isn’t that an uplifting “reframe” to an unexpected event? When I choose to hold onto the “something wonderful is about to happy” perspective I actually get excited to think about the good that will come out of this situation.

How about you? Are you currently in the midst of a situation that requires a reframe? If so, what’s the new perspective you’ll take?

When you think about your challenges through the lens of “something wonderful is about to happy” what shifts for you?

I’m  not here to dismiss the reality of the pain and suffering that comes through unanticipated change. Change creates loss and grief becomes a part of the process. It’s essential to give yourself permission to feel the full range of your human experience as you go through it. At the same time, it’s important that you don’t allow yourself to get “stuck” and lose site that you can find good in the midst of your trials.

Where has reframing helped you in your life? Share your thoughts at the blog and remember that whatever you are going through that’s hard, this too shall pass.

I find it’s easier to appreciate the good that happens in my business or life.  Inherently, I’m a positive person and much prefer to live in my “happy” place so I am able to pause, see the value of the positive, and embrace and celebrate the wins. I imagine this is mostly true for you as well.

But what about those “bad” and “ugly” instances that happen?  Are you able to embrace and appreciate these too?

My hunch is that you’re like most of my clients who don’t want to dwell on the difficulties. You prefer to move forward and focus on what you want instead of what you don’t. I mean really, isn’t the point to keep moving toward your goals and dreams?

Well, yes. And no.

In my work, I’ve learned that appreciating only the good keeps you from being fully human as you limit your range of emotion. The challenge is that what you define as “bad” or “ugly” might actually be the situation in your life that will help you to break out of old patterns that don’t serve you that keep you stuck.

Another important truth to remember is the proverbial phrase that “what you resist persists”. Chances are there will come a time when you’ll need to appreciate the “bad” and the “ugly” in order to gain the essential insight that helps you change and propels you forward into the more fulfilling life you really desire.

Let me share a personal example. Back in November on the Friday after Thanksgiving, I was in a car accident with my daughter and my car was totaled. Without getting into the details, suffice it to say this has and remains a very difficult and painful experience on multiple levels. It is definitely a situation I would label as “bad” and “ugly”.

Because it also involves my daughter, I’ve been required embrace the “bad” and the “ugly” over and over again. I finally gave myself permission to embrace the challenge and while it has been awful in many ways, the good that has come far outweighs the challenges.

Keeping it in the context of work, this situation was the catalyst that brought clarity around my next season professionally and how I will move forward using The Leadership Collaborative as my new work platform. So because of this “bad”, I am experiencing deep joy and great fulfillment in my work and having fun every day as I’ve allowed this “bad” situation to bring me closer to my true purpose in life and work.

What “bad” and “ugly” are you dealing with right now? It may not be a car accident like I’ve experienced; it could be a business deal gone bad or a challenging relationship. Whatever it might be for you, is it time to give yourself permission to appreciate the situation so you can gain the essential insight needed to propel you forward?

It’s not always easy but it will be the most rewarding and fulfilling personal development work you will ever do.

I found this quote which sums up this blog powerfully. “Each problem has hidden in it an opportunity so powerful that it literally dwarfs the problem. The greatest success stories were created by people who recognized a problem a turned it into an opportunity.” Joseph Sugarman

I want this level of success for you. Are you ready to appreciate the “bad” and the “ugly”? Contact me if you want support to design a plan of action. Don’t try to be Superwoman and go the journey alone.

Picture Courtesy of Photoxpress © Petr Gnuskin

Christmas is over yet there is still one present remaining if you are willing to open it. It’s the gift of reflection time spent during this last week of the year.

There is a slight “catch” with this gift. Someone isn’t going to come to you and hand you extra hours in your day for this reflection. This is one of those presents that you must decide you will get for yourself. Even once you choose this gift, you must be intentional and disciplined to make use of it.

You might be wondering why it’s so import to experience this gift. For me, this time has become non-negotiable and I guard it with intention because:

1. Reflecting back on your year helps you identify your successes and wins achieved during the year. You can celebrate your accomplishments and own the many ways you’ve grown and become more of your true and authentic self.
2. You clear out unnecessary thoughts, paperwork and possessions you no longer need for the coming year. This frees you up to move into the new year without hindrance.
3. You identify what you want for your life and work in the coming year and can make intentional plans with action steps to get you there. This helps you begin your new year in action, being proactive toward what you want to create for 2011. This results in a thriving and fulfilling life rather than reacting to life and just surviving.

I imagine that many of you reading this blog probably still have kids at home who are on break. You’ve probably checked out from reading this post because you see this reflection time as a luxury rather than a necessity. I challenge you to take on a different perspective consider these questions:

• What if you deciding to make this time for yourself is the way you model healthy self-care to your kids?
  
• How might the future of your children be different if you choose to celebrate your year and plan intentionally for the one ahead?

As you choose to open the gift of reflection this week, use this celebration tool to guide you through the process. This is my free gift to you and for those of you that need a little extra encouragement, I’m going to sweeten the deal.  The first 4 of you who send me an e-mail with your answers to the questions will receive a FREE 15-minute laser coaching session from me. To be considered you need to e-mail me by Wednesday, January 5th, 2011 and it’s first come, first served.

As we wind down the year, I want to celebrate each of you by thanking you for being a part of my blog community. It’s been a privilege and joy to support you with wisdom, resources and encouragement this past year and I look forward to partnering with you in 2011.

Here’s to celebrating 2010 for the sake of an extraordinary and abundant new year!

“Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.”
Hal Borland

Go, go, go. Buy, buy, buy. Do, do, do. The messages received during the Christmas season are usually counter to our true desires. I assert that most of us actually prefer the “presence” of someone being fully connected with us over the “presents” we open on Christmas day.

I struggle with “presence” on a daily basis. It takes conscious discipline to train my heart and mind to live from the inside-out rather than allowing everything outside of me to define and drive me.

How about you? Do you feel the tension between your desire for a peaceful and grounded life while  you experience the scattered feeling from the external pressures and demands?

Life is short; this Christmas and New Year how about showing up with a full heart, alert, involved and engaged? This is what it means to be fully present. Just imagine what your experience will be when you connect with others and your to-do list from this place?

So here’s a question to consider: “What keeps you from living in the present?”

Here are three things that might be getting in your way and a solution on how you can bring yourself back to presence during the holidays and beyond:

1. Discontentment—you lose sight of focus and look inward too much focusing on what you don’t have vs. what you actually do have.

Solution—Take a look at all that you have in your life. Be grateful and consider using what you have to help others.

2.  Regret—you focus on the sorrows of life and your challenges to a fault, keeping you stuck in the past or bitter, angry, immobilized or ineffective.

Solution—Embrace forgiveness. Learn from your sorrows and challenges and allow these to help you be filled with grace and compassion for yourself and others.

3. Future fears—you focus on what future challenges which might happen causing you to worry about things you can’t completely control.

Solution—Live with expectation and take a look the choices you make today which can impact your future in a positive way. Overcome future challenges by being engaged in the present right now.

I’m curious what you think? What solution will you try during the holidays to keep you present? Share your comments at the blog at www.shannonbruce.com. If you’d like more wisdom and insight on the topic be sure to read and sign up for our team newsletter.

This Christmas, I wish you true joy, quiet peace and perfect love.  Enjoy the gift of presence.

“Yesterday is history.  Tomorrow is a mystery.  And today?  Today is a gift.  That’s why we call it the present.”
Babatunde Olatunji

Picture Source © photographer Natalya Korolevskaya, www.photoxpress.com

Life is a developmental process as you stretch and grow. You see this in your kids no doubt as they grow physically, emotionally and spiritually. Somewhere along the way though, you might have let go of the notion that you are continuing to develop as an adult because physically you’ve stopped growing. You have a set shoe size and have reached your height that you will be for the rest of your life so your done growing, right?

But what about your emotional and spiritual growth?

See if this sounds familiar as you think about your business (or life if you prefer to look here). You have a new direction that you wish to pursue so you develop a plan of action. You start moving forward and all of a sudden you hit resistance. You get sick, your car breaks down or some how  “life” gets in the way. You feel discouraged and frustrated.

But wait! Step back and take a look at what’s really happening. Eight steps forward, five steps back. You get healthy again. Three steps forward, two steps back. Your car is fixed. Now do the math: 8-5+3-2=4. Notice the net positive gain! It is forward progress even in the midst of your set-backs!

So don’t give up! You are making headway and you’re growing, changing and evolving at the same time so keep your eye on your vision!

Go ahead right now. Take a moment and think about this idea in your own life.

• Where have you made forward steps?
• Where have you moved backwards?
• What’s your net number if you turned each of these “steps” of movement forward and backward into a math equation?

It really doesn’t matter whether you have a net gain or loss. The key is to celebrate every step ahead as you acknowledge your frustration for steps backward. Let that frustration fuel you to persevere as you keep your ultimate vision in front of you. Then decide what your one next step is that will move you toward your vision and take it!

I’m curious what you’re learning as you go through this exercise? I invite you to share your comments at www.shannonbruce.com. Perhaps writing your comments here is your one next step forward to your vision. If you don’t know your vision, contact me for a complimentary 15-minute informational call or watch this TED Video on what it means to discover your “why”.

Remember the journey of a 1,000 miles begins with a single step. Even you though you may go backwards and there are detours along the way, you can experience the richness of life and joy as you embrace what comes. And one key to “moving” is that sometimes you need to “deepen your learning” before you can “forward the action”. It’s all a part of the developmental process leading you to your destiny!

Photo Courtesy of Photoxpress ©Alfonso d’Agostino

Whoa, what a ride………. Last week was my first week as a MOMpreneur. Being the mom of a 10 week old and running a full fledged business, the concept of time management presents a whole new set of challenges.  “Going back to work” brought up many different emotions; sadness, joy, fatigue, gratitude, and most of all overwhelm.

Here are some tips that I am embracing and I invite you to join me.

1.    Become the CEO of your business. When a good CEO starts her day, she has a plan. She moves with purpose, methodically devoting her full attention to each objective. She has results in mind. Does she answer every call that comes in? Does she let other people determine when to meet, and for how long? Does she run around putting out fires and saving the day? Not a chance. You are the boss of your company, and it’s okay to act like it. You get to decide where to invest your time, and that means you don’t necessarily respond to every little thing right away. Go ahead, let that call go to voicemail!

2.    You won’t get it all done – and that’s okay. It’s the dark side of ambition that driving need to get everything handled. It haunts our nights and eats into our personal time. Many of us believe that in order to be successful, we have to get everything done. It’s not true! Handle your biggest priorities (like your marketing activities) every day and let the small stuff take care of itself. It is OK if you don’t get it all done – really! Getting to the next level is about doing what’s most important – always.

3.    Perfectionism isn’t profitable. Remember the golden rule in business: ‘Tis better to get it done than to do it perfectly. Don’t waste time with details that don’t really matter in the end. If high standards are compromising your productivity or adding to your stress, take some time to explore whether you have an unmet personal need (such as a need for approval). If this is the case, find ways to meet your needs outside of work. (We’ll talk about needs in a future article, as I have found that unmet needs are one the biggest reasons we become out of balance – more later). Remember, your job is to make sure things get done – one priority at a time.

4.    Contain your business: declare office hours. When you’re self employed, and especially when you work from home, your professional life and your personal life tend to blend together. You conduct high-powered meetings over the phone in your pajamas (come on ……I know I am not the only one your faxes end up with salsa smudges; you stop shopping for the kids back to school clothes to take a call from your assistant etc. But when you set up boundaries between your personal time and your work hours, you’ll start to experience some wonderful benefits:

You become much more efficient. In an effort to make the most of your work hours, you stop tending to the minor details and start tackling the bigger picture.
Your time off actually becomes “down time” so you feel much more rested.
At the end of the day, you feel satisfied instead of resentful; in control instead of chaotic; purposeful instead of panicky. Of course, you only realize these benefits if you actually honor your office hours. Take them seriously, and demand that everyone else does too.

TLC Coaches challenge:
This month, be intentional about how you spend your time. Define your office hours and stick to your priorities. Constantly ask yourself, “Which result is most important now?” Post a sign or make a note to keep you focused, and when the end of the day comes, close the door.

Begin this fall with a CEO mentality and join me in having your business serve your life rather then feeling like a servant to your business!

Reproduced with permission from Teresia LaRocque’s ‘Leverage Your Business, Love Your Life’ newsletter. To subscribe, go to www.teresia.com. Copyright 2010 Teresia.

I’d love to hear your thoughts. What’s most important to you? And what changes do you need to make to have a CEO mentality in your business and your life? Share your comments at the blog at www.shannonbruce.com.

Do you remember how you felt when you were very young and your birthday approached? You were excited and anxious. You knew you would certainly receive gifts and other special treats. But some things would be a surprise. It wasn’t a question of “if” you would receive anything; instead the question you pondered was actually “what?”

Imagine that you held this same perspective around the “unknown”? What if you took that step out of your comfort zone and instead of fearing the unknown outcome, you had faith that there was a gift awaiting you on the other side. Just as birthdays combine assurance and anticipation so does faith!

In my early morning Facebook posting yesterday, a dialogue on the topic of faith began. Here’s how it went:

Shannon – “Faith is learning to be OK with the unknown. It’s learning to embrace the “I don’t know” and seeing this as the open door to the many possibilities that are beyond what you could ever hope for or imagine.”

Friend #1 – “Living in the unknown also increases your faith…it’s all divine. ”

Friend #2 – “I’m intrigued and interested in learning how to be more faithful in this regard… The “unknown” frightens me and freezes my ability to act freely.”

Can you relate to Friend #2? I know I can, along with every one of my past, present and future clients!

We all have fears and the truth is these never go away completely. On the other hand, you can turn your fears into excitement when you choose to be courageous and act in spite of them. In doing so, your faith grows because you find the gifts that are available as you step into the unknown. This changes your fears to faith as you let your anticipation for these unknown surprises give you courage along the way.

Here’s what Robert G. Allen suggests around fears and faith as you step into the unknown:

Hold up your hand and assign one letter to each finger:

FEARS = Failure, Embarrassment, Abandonment, Rejection and Success.

How do you over come your fears?

With FAITH.

FAITH = Freedom, Abundance, Inspiration, Triumph, and Happiness.

As you read this post, what’s being stirred in you? What fear will you overcome and what’s the action step of faith that you’ll take today, either in your life or your business?

Living courageously is exhilarating and scary at the same time, and it’s not meant to be done alone! Find a mentor, hire a professional coach, or get an accountability partner.

As a first step, I’d like to challenge you to share your fears and your courageous moves of faith with this community of blog readers. Let’s use this blog as a form of accountability for that one step into the unknown where your surprise gift awaits.

So I’ll start….I’m on a mission to grow my community of newsletter and blog readers and yet I haven’t directly asked for your help. Today I’m moving beyond my fear of embarrassment and rejection and asking you to send this post to 5 of your friends as you invite them to sign up for our blog and newsletter.  Why you might ask? I’m looking for 500 new women and Mompreneurs to join our lists as we expand our network and impact with courageous women who are ready to overcome obstacles to discover who they are, as they boldly take action to live their inspired life vision.

Thank you for referring your friends, family and colleagues. Here’s to living courageously, overcoming fears and growing in faith!

“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience. We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face… we must do that which we think we cannot.”—Eleanor Roosevelt

“The daily life satisfaction of women has gone downhill consistently in relation to where they were 40 years ago,” according to Marcus Buckingham, Author and Researcher. That’s a startling statistic that makes me curious. What about you? On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being absolutely satisfied, how fulfilled are you in your life?

According to Buckingham, this shocking fact “is true of women in the work force, those not working, those who have kids or don’t, and it’s even true of 12th grade girls.” If this is the case, what’s the answer to fulfillment?!

Buckingham has found that you must find your “strength zone” because its critical to a sense of being valued, efficient and fulfilled. As a life coach, I agree that when you leverage your strengths in your roles of wife, mother, business owner, and woman, you will be more alive and fulfilled as your strengths are engaged and called upon in your daily activities.

There’s a perspective shift that is critical to finding this increased level of purpose and satisfaction. Instead of “juggling” the many tasks of your life, Buckingham suggests you should “catch and cradle”. If you recognize the challenge of life is not to juggle, but instead to catch and select a few clear strong moments from each aspect of your life, you can reach for those and find greater joy.

How do you catch and cradle? Follow these steps by Marcus Buckingham to find a new approach to fulfillment:

1. Define the specific moments in your life that renew your energy and bring you joy.
2. Go after these moments and imbalance your life toward creating more of these specific moments.
3. Learn who you are clearly enough to say “yes” because you want to engage in activities that make you come alive; this is contrary to the traditional “say no”.
   
4. Understand that these moments won’t be the same for your sister, your next-door neighbor or your co-worker.

In this “catch and cradle” approach, Buckingham states “in contrast with manic juggling, there is a deliberate reaching for specific moments to cradle. When you cradle a baby, you concentrate on it, feel its weight, and allow it to move you; you’re very responsive to it. Cradling is a very nurturing position. You’re not grasping it to you; there’s hopefulness to it.”

What do you think ? Share your comments on this new approach to fulfillment.

To discover the role you were born to play, take the Strong Life Test developed by Marcus Buckingham. For more support in changing perspectives and living from your strengths, be sure to sign-up for our monthly newsletter.