Point of View

POINT OF VIEW

Ongoing thoughts about coaching...

It’s not smoke and mirrors, it’s not magic, and it’s not always going to be easy. Your decision to hire a coach and change things for the better, reminds me of that quote,

“It’s hard, but you can do it.”

In fact, it’s really all about you. That’s it in a nutshell.

Let's face it, it's a rare moment when you get to concentrate on #1 exclusively, with a facilitator who's there to assist you in identifying and accomplishing the things you most want to do.

And it stands to reason that when given this opportunity, you will move faster and with more certainty, with the guidance and support of another person. This arrangement results in a higher degree of clarity about oneself and one's goals. From there a path is laid out, and progress is tracked as we move forward.

The bottom line is: You set the agenda, the pace, and the focus, and I help.

Specifically what does it take on your part? First, you have to recognize and acknowledge your desire to do something. That you are looking at this site is a step in the right direction. Next, it’s a matter of finding the right individual to work with you, and getting started.

The process calls for will power, determination, the willingness to work hard, and the courage to change.

Also, you’re going to have to give yourself permission to be happy. If that’s not too much to ask then what are you waiting for? Just take the leap.

You’ve got nothing to lose.

Monday, December 08, 2008

Gratitude for Life Itself

Gratefulness is a positive and popular theme this time of year and today I’d like to peel back acouple of layers of the onion to go a little deeper into the possibilities and the power of simple gratitude.

Who cannot recall as a child at Thanksgiving sitting with family at the table with the feast laid out in front of them: the turkey, mashed potatoes, the stuffing, and all the fixings for this holiday meal. And then as predictably as the pumpkin pie and the apple cider, one of the adults instructs the children to take a moment to be thankful for what they have. Like an ancient Native American Chief clad in bright colors, whose face is lined with age and wisdom, the elder member of the family reminds younger generations to acknowledge and be thankful for our food, our families, our freedom. Not to take for granted these everyday gifts like the water we drink, the comfortable homes we live in, and the good health and abundant energy that is ours. (Not too mention the laptops, the cell phones, the ipods and the video games.)

And what a great message: taking some time to think about and mark some of the blessings that are bestowed upon us. To be aware of and to appreciate the riches all around us that we usually don’t even give a second thought to.We live in country as privileged and free as anywhere on the planet.

How lucky are we that there are men and women who like the gladiators of the past travel far and wide and risk their lives to protect us for those that mean to do us harm.To live in a time and place where engineers and scientists standing on the shoulders of the Benjamin Franklins and the Galileo’s have conceived of and designed our modern world. The satellites that circle our planet, the bridges, and roads that get us around, the natural gas and water systems, that support the way we to live, all certainly merit our appreciation.And indeed once you begin to enumerate all the things we have to be grateful for indeed the list is virtually never ending.

Now, like the driver of an 18 wheeled truck approaching a rest stop, allow me to change gears. Because what occurred to me while ruminating over all there is to be grateful for, beyond the things already mentioned, is indeed our lives themselves.

As people, as humans, as men and women and children we not only exist, but we are alive. And beyond being alive we are indeed endowed with the senses, the bodies and the minds to embrace life, like no others! Are you still with me? I hope so ‘cause like the jelly in the donut, this is the crux of the message. We are alive, and we know it, and we can relish in that.

Let’s go to the beach.

Have you ever taken a deep breath of fresh air and then exhaled and that very act felt so satisfying? I have. Or to stroll along the ocean’s edge, as the gentle breaking waves cool your feet, and the sun glistens off the water, a pelican dives, and a pod of dolphins swim by. It is heavenly.To see the bluest-blue, the sky can ever be, on a brilliant sunny day. To watch small children playing on the beach with smiling eyes romping about with reckless joy. One runs in circles screaming and laughing, while another completes a sand castle and stands over it arms outstretched in the air with pride, like the king of the world.

And just to smell the mix of sand and surf and to feel the warmth of the sun on your face and body in the gentle breeze. Mmmmm.

To behold a gorgeous sunset of golds and pinks that etches the clouds like an impressionist painting and colors the light with hues of magic.

As the sun sets and darkness settles over the shoreline we may feel inspired. We may decide to do something differently.We may gain insight or come up with a solution to something that we have been wrestling with. We have the amazing capacity to think about what is, to imagine what could be, and to act on that thought to change things.

It can be as simple as realizing that you’ve run out of milk and deciding to pick up some at the store on the way home. Or it may be as profound revelation as you have ever had; one that changes your life and maybe the lives of other’s.

Like the famous sculptor who said the, “statue lies hidden in the block of marble” he just had to chisel into the stone to reveal it, we too are able to think about things, and then to bring them about. Wow.

So what do we do with the gift of life itself? Well, hopefully we take some time to think and maybe even jot down what we are grateful for. Some people do it daily as a part of their routine keeping a gratitude journal.We pay it forward or we can give back to the world in so many ways-Any act that lifts another person such as a smile or a moment of your time will ripple out and lift the universe in ways we cannot know.And gratitude is also simply shedding the feelings (I know I have), of wanting more or, wanting things to be different, or wanting for things to be better now.Like the songs says ‘You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometime, you might just find, you get what you need’….and a whole lot more.

Email: janvsolomita@yahoo.com Internet: Janvsolomita.com

Friday, January 25, 2008

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