I think for us to be fully happy we need to develop all our talents.

New Book!

For me, although most of you know me as a coach, I’m also a writer. In the last few weeks, I’ve been engrossed in doing the final edits for a young adult fiction book that’s being published by Dundurn Press this November. (My fifth book!)

What an incredible amount of work it’s been! (That’s why I’ve been remiss at writing newsletters, but more will come now.)

Meanwhile, here’s a delightful video that speaks to the beauty of complexity and commitment! Enjoy!

PS:  If YOU want to talk about how to develop a passion/talent you have sitting inside you, give me a call & we’ll chat about it.

Energy is EVERYTHING!

Energy is what we build our lives with.  It’s what attracts people and situations to us. When our energy is zinging with positivity and aliveness, we feel as if we can do anything. And we probably can.

When we feel ‘down’ (negative) and low in energy, even the smallest tasks feel like too much. Furthermore,  because the world tends to mirror us, negative energy has a way of pulling in other negative energy, taking us down further into the mire.

Taking Charge of Your Energy!

Taking charge of our energy is probably THE most vital thing you can do for your self-creation. Unfortunately, most of the time, we feel like pinball machines, reacting to what happens around us with our energy responding accordingly. But there are new techniques and understanding of brain function now that can show you HOW to modulate your energy AT WILL!

I’ve described these tools and techniques in a new course I’ve just created called, ‘Change Your Energy, Change Your Life’. It’s a 40-day online course that includes a daily bit of coaching or ‘lesson’ (5-10 minutes long) and an audio or video with a specific technique to help you change your energy right away. Some of the lessons are pithy, some funny, all are inspiring. They represent the BEST of all I’ve learned in my 30 years of coaching!

Change Your Energy, Change Your Life!

I’m gifting the first week for F*R*E*E so you try it and see if it’s for you. If you don’t opt-in at the end of the fist week, nothing more will come to you. If you do opt-in the price is $29 for the full 40 day course.

Check it out HERE. Learn to create the energy YOU want. I’ll show you how.

To BE or Not To BE!

With so many of us caught up in continual ‘Doing’, I want to encourage people to focus on how they are ‘BEING’ instead of just focusing on how they are ‘Doing’ in 2011!

Why?

First of all, when we focus on the qualities of ‘being’ (like being caring or generous or loving or more sensitive) it just feels good. That’s because we’re honouring our inner natures rather than just looking at possible outer accomplishments. When we do that, we feel good no matter what the outcome of a situation is too, which means our well-being is independent of results and that’s always freeing.

Who You Want to BE is Your Choice!

One of the best parts about focusing on ‘being’ is that it’s something you can do yourself, in each moment and doesn’t rely on anything or anyone ‘Out There’. It’s something you can choose in every moment, in every situation and is completely in your control.

Overall, focusing on ‘being’ is simply a more elegant and rewarding way of living and creating your life!

BEING Your Best is 2011.

So, who do you want to BE in 2011? Choose 1 (or 2) ‘beingness’ qualities and start vibrating as if you already exemplified this way of being. Notice how good it feels to even do this.

When I coach people, I always encourage them to choose and cultivate inner being qualities to guide them because I know that once they do, they’ll become very attractive in their energy field and as a result, attractive people and situations will be drawn to them like metal filings to a magnet. It just happens. And it happens without struggle, that’s the best part! And I love hearing my clients say, “Gosh, Karen, since I started coaching with you, so many good things keep happening.” This always makes me grin!

So, as you view the year ahead, consider some ‘being’ goals. Mine is to relax more into the  nourishment of my spiritual essence.

As  New Year’s gift to you, my wonderful faithful readers, I’m offering to the first 5 people who contact me, a  complimentary Idea Session (lasting about a half hour) on how you can BE more of who you want to be.  In this session, I’ll lead you in a process to help you choose the ‘being’ qualities that are truest for Who You Are and then give you lots of ideas about how to live them more fully and not get sideswiped by old patterns.

Contact me: karen@personalbest.org or give me a call. I’m on Eastern Standard time. 705-645-8371. This offer is open to anyone not currently working with me. (For those who are working with me, I have some other goodies in store for you soon!)

One of the women I’m working with has just been asked to do something she’s dreamed of being asked to do (it’s so exciting), but it’s frightening her as well.

We all have times when life offers us our best dreams only to find ourselves scared about our ability to rise to the offering!

Here’s what I suggest to people in this situation:

1) Acknowledge the fear–but,  acknowledge it in a way that makes it only a part of you.  After all, even though new opportunities may stir up fear, they often stir up other emotions too, like excitement. When we acknowledge all the various parts, we’re more able to stop ourselves from identifying with just the fear and that will provide us all kinds of wiggle room to grow. Changing your language to reflect this will help. Say,  “Part of me is scared….” rather than “I’m scared.”

It’s kind of like a parent dealing with a frightened child. If the parent got frightened too, that wouldn’t be very helpful to the child. As you can imagine, for the parent to help, he/she needs to listen and be supportive, not IN the fear as well.

2. As you listen to your frightened part, see if you can hear what it needs emotionally & be as responsive as you can about meeting that emotional need. If you think of that part as a child, it will help.

3) Take lots of quiet time. When we’re transitioning to our best selves, it can take a while for our energy to shift into the new way. You may need lots of non-doing time to adjust–just as a caterpillar needs to cocoon before emerging as a butterfly. Give this to yourself.

4) Even if you have never done well at what’s newly required before, don’t worry. Keep reminding yourself that your body grows new cells ALL the time and the past doesn’t matter unless you say it does.

5) Spend time in the imaginal realms SEEING, HEARING and FEELING yourself handling the new situation/task/project with the greatest of ease and skill. ALL top athletes do this and they do this for a reason. It works.

6) Focus on your passion for the project, NOT your performance. This is crucial. Think of a mother giving birth–she doesn’t think about how she’s performing, or even about the pain, but focuses on her excitement about seeing the baby.   She lets her excitement pull her forward.  Ditto.

As Fritz Perls, the great psychiatrist said, “Anxiety is the gap between now and then.” Hopefully these strategies will help you make that gap smaller, so there’s no leap, only a lovely long stride into the new you!

So, when you’re spending some time on the deck/dock, let yourself do some ‘focused dreaming’. Dare to create some specific and detailed dreams about what you want to create.

To help you understand more deeply the relationship between dreaming and creating, here’s short video clip by Mike Dooley, who is on tour just now, talking about how “thoughts are things” and why it’s important to choose our thoughts wisely. He’s interesting and funny! I’ve been getting his daily “Notes from the Universe” for years now and love him. Check him out for yourself: