Archive for Values & Priorities
The Gift of Reflection – Increase your Impact and Improve your Results in 2011
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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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
Presence
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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
Thanksgiving Leads to Thanks-Living
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On Monday night, areas of Western Washington State were hit by a major snow storm. In fact, 50,000 people remain without power and some won’t have it restored until Friday. The temperatures remain at or below freezing so this is a significant situation as we head into the Thanksgiving holiday.
With the snow and ice on the roads, I asked my Dad to be my chauffeur because I don’t do well in ice. I remember sliding down the ice on Queen Anne Hill in Seattle years ago and ever since then I have decided this is one area I have no expertise! Hence, the request of my father.
I left my daughter at my parents’ house and my Dad and I headed to mine. Along the way, we saw trees downed due to high winds up to 60 mph, police cars and tow trucks everywhere, flashes of lightning in the sky, cars in ditches and power outages creating an eerie landscape. Amidst the chaos, I was deeply grounded believing that there was something significant about to happen.
We came upon a downed tree and needed to turn around. As we crested a hill on our new route, we found a man who went up over the ditch with his car as he landed against the telephone pole. It had just happened moments earlier so we pulled over to ask if he was OK. He was shaken but with the exception of his damaged car, he was fine. We gave him a ride home and as we left him I could feel emotions stirring within me.
I knew I was experiencing a transformational moment. Something shifted deep within as I connected with my spirit. I realized that all of the work that I’ve been doing to launch The Leadership Collaborative came into crisper focus.
I made connections between my work and the noble cause I am passionate about. I’m still in process with it as I allow the evening adventures to continue to percolate in me.
This is all rather timely as I have been asking myself “Why?” and “For the sake of what?” to get clear on the impact I want to have in the lives of others through my business. Monday night’s adventures are helping me find my true answers which I am committed to gaining. I believe these core truths will help me create a sustainable life and business that will allow me to help the under privileged in a significant way.
All of this has brought me to a place of deep thanksgiving. Since that Monday night, I have acknowledged my gratitude in the following ways:
- being grateful for the gift of basic necessities and praying for those less fortunate,
- honoring this serving moment with my father by talking about it with him and allowing this to create a deeper connection between us,
- being thankful that as an entrepreneur, I have freedom and flexibility in my life to accommodate the unexpected situations that come up.
What about you? What are you grateful for this Thanksgiving?
From this experience, I recognize that Thanksgiving is more than a holiday. It’s a state of being that leads to thanks living, calling forth a shift of perspective that is aligning my thoughts, actions and behaviors to match the core of who I am authentically.
I’m curious what changes this post might inspire in your life? What will thanks living mean to you? I invite you to share your comments at the blog at www.shannonbruce.com.
As you engage with family and friends this Thanksgiving, share your gratitude with them. Let them know what matters and feel the shift within and around you as you express from this place of intimate authenticity. Carry this new perspective of thanks living with you beyond the weekend and watch the world transform.
Saying a prayer of Thanksgiving for the gift of your support and relationship.
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
~Irish Blessing
Photo Courtesy of Photoxpress © .shock
What’s Guiding your Life?
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How might you answer the question, “What’s guiding your life?”
Are your values, vision and mission guiding you? Or are have to’s, ought to’s and should’s directing your thoughts, emotions and activities?
I recently heard this startling statistic shared by Shawn Byler, owner of Intentional Influence. She said, “20-60% of every work day is spent in an unproductive state. This means that people are distracted by worry, stress or anxiety and feel defeated on a regular basis.“
These are shocking statistics! Yet deep down I know it’s true because at times, I’ve experienced this unproductive state in both my life and work.
How about you? Do you find yourself distracted throughout the day, losing your focus, feeling frustrated and discouraged?
If you find yourself in this situation you are losing valuable and productive time. Most likely it is impacting your health, your work, and your relationships in an adverse way.
So what do you do? You need to become aware of what’s getting in the way of you being intentional.
Here are some simple yet powerful steps to take:
- Notice when you are distracted. Pause and become aware of what is causing you to lose focus.
- Take ten minutes. Write down the activities, thoughts and emotions that are getting in the way. Be an observer of your life and get curious about these distractions, without judgment.
- At the end of the day, review your list of distracting thoughts, emotions and activities. Decide what changes you will make make to bring more focus as you engage in your life and work.
- Implement your changes and keep the process of discovery going to see what else is needed.
What do you think? What distractions are getting in the way of your most authentic and productive life? Share your comments at the blog at www.shannonbruce.com.
Remember, awareness is powerful wisdom that will help you live the life you most desire!
Photo courtesy of Photoxpress © Mirek Hejnicki
Just say No!
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Do you want more joy in your life and revenue in your business? If your answer is “yes” you might be shocked when I tell you “how” to go after the “more”.
Just say “No!”
You’re probably thinking, “really?” Could “no” actually be the answer to “more”?
Absolutely and here’s why. If you say yes to every opportunity, invitation, possibility or activity for your life, your kids’ lives and/or your business you will eventually run out of resources and you will crash just like a computer that has too many windows open. By saying “yes” to every suggestion or request, you are letting other people’s agendas drive your life and your business. Saying “no” can put you in charge instead.
Where do you need to exercise “no”?
In your life?
Your business?
Or both?
Pursuing too many opportunities is not the true path to success or fulfillment. The “more” you desire will come when you exercise your “no” and you streamline your life to achieve greater impact with less effort.
What will you say “no” to?
What accountability and support do you need to begin?
By making a commitment to”no” you can reclaim your life and your business. Join me by sharing your “no” by posting your comment at the blog where you can read my comment as well. And, if you need a new relationship with the word “no” contact me to find out how relationship coaching can support you in the process.
Start saying “no” and watch less become more!
Picture courtesy of Photoxpress © Robert Mobley
