A different perspective on Celebrating…

…when you’re dealing with disappointment when everyone else is celebrating.

Sometimes the year finishes all too soon, with goals incomplete, and disappointments scattered around you like the gift-wrapping after Christmas lunch.

If you’re familiar with my writing or speaking, you know I’m passionate about celebrating.  Reflecting on accomplishments and celebrating learning is incredibly valuable. It’s not always easy, and even more important at these times. I know many people who are completing 2009 with a sense of “Thank God this year is over! I don’t want to think about it again.”

It may have been a really, really tough year, so let’s have a look at what there is to celebrate… come with me on a journey of discovery. (It’s been a tough year for me, but the outcomes are amazing!)

Did you do something for the first time this year?
Did you meet someone new who opened your eyes to new ideas or opportunities?
Did you step outside your comfort zone?  What do you now do, or know, that was once outside of your reach?
Did you set a goal that scared you because it was ‘bigger than ever’?  How did you go?  Whether you reached it yet or not, what did you learn?
What do you now have, or what do you know as a result of tackling this goal?
How did you handle the challenges that came up this year?  (Never mind if it wasn’t as well as you would’ve liked, but did you handle things better than a previous time)

What would the most encouraging, sincere friend be saying to you if you discussed the above with them?

It’s so important to find opportunities to give yourself a pat on the back.  It increases your awareness, expands your creativity and your confidence, and can even increase your energy – how useful is that at this time of year!
If you keep noticing the things you aren’t so proud of, acknowledge them and put them aside… you might need to remind yourself that it’s time to silence the inner critic and see what else is there that the critic has been ignoring.

Personally, I’m really looking forward to a week to reflect on this year, which feels a bit of a haze at the moment as I’m more fatigued than I’ve been for a long time, so I’m going to start by going through my calendar month by month, noting the events.
I know I will realise that I’ve traveled extensively, met amazing people each time that I am grateful to have connected with. Some have been dear friends for a long time, some are new connections.
I know I will find many new experiences, and moments where I jumped out of the comfort zone which resulted in great learning and more opportunities.
I know I’ll find moments where I surprised myself, and insights that will jump off the pages and excite and inspire me.
I know I’ll be grateful for each coaching journey I’ve taken with clients and in awe of the difference it’s made for them.  Actually reading their testimonials speaks volumes to me…

Are you seeing how this could look for you?

What will you do to celebrate your accomplishments – and the fact that you’ve arrived at the end of this year? See yourself crossing the finish line… You made it!!! Well done! Start with the simple things – pen and paper – and go for it!!!

Now go and have a real celebration, no need to put a smile on – the happiness and confidence will come from the inside out!

Cheering you on,
Kerrie

PS.  Please leave a comment with your thoughts, especially if you’d like to be notified when I actually do my list (I know it’s going to take a while!) – I’m happy to share some of it with anyone who would find it useful to see an example.

Honest Confession

Honestly? I don’t blog as often as I want to because I want it perfect (or nearly perfect) every time!!  This was my waking insight this morning…  How often have I had something inspirational or encouraging to share and I have not shared.  I constantly have inspiring thoughts going through my head – someone’s amazing story to share, a wonderful connection with someone, the way that nature expresses itself so beautifully…

I am so sorry.  I get great feedback from blogs and articles I’ve written, telecalls I run, events I host (they’re so fun – I get my clients together and share news of achievements and breakthroughs) and messages I share when I speak.  So if what I do (when I do it) is an encouragement or support to people – how dare I hold back,  in case it’s not quite right or I don’t feel ready?!

Yes I’ve had a little wake-up call, and maybe it won’t be the only one… (actually it’s not the only one) but I’ll just keep throwing myself out of the comfort zone by writing or sharing honestly how I feel, what I think etc.  And who has time to get everything perfect?!

My concern is not so much about spelling or grammar, but wanting to write in a way that includes people, doesn’t offend people, makes people feel valued, supported or encouraged.   Well guess what Kerrie?!  Not everyone will like it, people will include or exclude themselves, or choose to be offended!  Not much I can do there!!

So maybe you’ll read and smile, or squirm, or get annoyed and delete, or even send me nasty letters (ouch!)  but I’ll just be me, a girl who’s having a go and not letting anything keep me from my destiny.
I am so inspired, challenged and cheered on by a quote I included in my first published book.  Spoken by Nelson Mandela, written by his speech-writer Marianne Williamson… There’s no words I can add to it, so this is it from me.  (I do hope that reading this has been beneficial for you though!)

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,
talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God.

Your playing small does not serve the world.

There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other

people won’t feel insecure around you.

We were born to make manifest the glory of
God that is within us.

It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people
permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear,
Our presence automatically liberates others.

An amazing discovery to share!

We’ve been preparing for Ethan’s first swimming carnival over the last few weeks and the insights arising have been rather interesting…

I want to share something I discovered very recently, which is truly amazing, and which has completely changed the way I swim. It may not sound like a big deal, but it has it’s significance…

Elephant Swimming

Can you imagine being 31 years old, terrified of the water… but learning to swim with ease, to the point of competing in an ocean swimming race – in only 10 days?

Tim Ferriss shares on this video how he overcame his struggles in the pool in such an astoundingly short period of time, and in a way that you can go to the pool after watching his five minute explanation and try it yourself.

He explained it so simply, I had to go and try it out straight away. I got to the end of the pool, turned around and swam back, and was shocked at how I was not puffed… at all! Very strange… it almost felt wrong! How did I get there so easily? I did it again and again, wondering how a change in technique could yield such stunning results.

I showed Ethan – this is where it became really fun.

Last week we were swimming and I finished a lap 5 seconds before him. He was not happy about that at all. Although I explained that I had 30+ years of swimming behind me, and he’s just starting out he told me he “couldn’t really imagine” being faster than me in a year or two. He insisted on only swimming backstroke (his, and my favourite) or the occasional breaststroke, because he was “rubbish” at freestyle, managing only 10 metres. After showing Ethan the short video of Tim Ferriss explaining this technique, he swam an entire lap without stopping, and the sheer delight (and no small amount of surprise) on his face was just priceless. His later comments to my mother were quite memorable too… “I usually swim a little bit and can hardly breathe, but now I swim a lap and it’s like I’ve just been sitting in a comfortable rocking chair!”

There’s so much I could share on this, and maybe later I will – but for now – enjoy this video and consider what can happen when you make small changes in the right direction.

To check out Tim’s blog with more detail and videos click here

Go the Way of the Black Door!

You know when something really impacts you and you need to share it with the world? The Black Door is such a story… Lyndon recently posted it on our Create the Life Club blog, and then today I was asked to re-write from my perspective – which is a little different as I want to bust through the black doors in life!!

I have grown up with a Dad who pushes himself, and me, out of the comfort zone constantly – so I know what it is to feel fear, and (fortunately) have discovered the delight on the other side. When I came across the story of the Black Door, I realised that this is what we do, and must challenge ourselves to do. My darling husband however, is less inclined to take a leap into the unknown. (There is hope though – he is a skydiver…)

Lyndon was working in a job that he enjoyed, but was exhausted and “not being there to see our son grow up”. He was so impacted by the story of The Black Door, and “bit the bullet”, resigning and leaping into the unknown to spend time with the family, and support me to grow my new business.

Was it a wise move financially? Not in the short term, that’s for sure… But he says “I wish I had done it sooner, because money cannot buy what I gained.”

Here is the story that impacted us so powerfully…

There is a story of a black door, a young man and a Persian general.

The young man, it is said, was a prisoner of war, and the general was a very fair man. When the day arrived to decide the fate of the prisoner, the general had him brought before him. The young man was certain of death, but the general generously gave him two choices. On the young man’s left was a firing squad, guns poised ready. On the right was a plain white wall with a large black door in the middle of it. The young man was given leave to determine his fate…the firing squad or the black door.

The young man made his choice and in a short while a volley of shots rang out and the prisoner crumpled to the ground. The general shook his head and commented to his aide that in all his years he had seen only a few men choose the black door. May I ask, sir, the aide queried … what lies beyond the black door? Freedom, the general replied. The black door leads to freedom, but I have seen only a few men choose it because they are afraid of what horrors may lie beyond. Most would rather choose a fate that they know, even if it means death, than experience the unknown. The man brave enough to choose the black door deserves to be free.

Today, in the world of business, change is constant, and those afraid to experience change are in a precarious position. Trends in business are changing, and business and career choices once thought to be safe and stable are no longer so. The advice our parents gave us – to go to university, get a good education and get a good job with a company who would take care of us for the rest of out lives – is no longer true. Company restructuring, downsizing and retrenchments have caused abrupt changes inadequate to take care of a family’s needs. And yet, there are choices to be made, and those brave enough to make them will survive the economic crunch

Are you ready to choose The Black Door??

To view the blog by Lyndon that this was taken from click The Black Door.

Inspiring Quotes

I’m taking a big step this week – launching myself out of the comfort zone and becoming an author!  I am creating a journal, which includes a guide to effective writing and support for achieving goals and I’m including some of my favourite inspriring quotes, not only from the very famous, but also from people in my world, who will most likely be famous one day.  Well their words will be in print!

I thought I’d share a few of my favourite quotes now, why wait for the journal to be printed?  Today’s a great day to encourage someone!

1.  Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase. – Martin Luther King Jr.

Okay, so I’m doing that…  and sometimes I trip on the stairs in my excitement or inexperience, but I get up and keep moving, learning from each experience.

2.  I want to know God’s thoughts. The rest are details. – Albert Einstein

Wow… what’s to be said here?  It’s worth pondering every single day…

3.  Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

I think I’m doing okay with this one too… Lyndon was just reminding me last night that I am quite unusual. (I see things so differently to how most people would)  It’s not a bad thing, probably a good thing, but something to be aware of – I can’t guess what people would be thinking!!

4.  Change your thoughts and you change your world. – Norman Vincent Peale

I absolutely, wholeheartedly agree!  I love the question “How could I think about this differently?”  I love that I can be proactive, notice my thinking and change it!  I’m in charge of my brain!  If I leave it on autopilot it might take me down the wrong path!

Well I’ve enjoyed sharing these thoughts, and I’m now getting back to pulling my journal together so it’s out before Christmas.  Hope you’ve enjoyed this too.  If you’d like to send me your favourite quotes, the life-changing ones, please do!  Especially the one’s you’ve made up yourself – gems from your heart and mind.   You never know where they’ll go.

This one comes from a lovely, inspiring client of mine from New Zealand, who went blind as a 30+ mother of two boys. Check out www.thatblindwoman.com to be really inspired.

5.  To lose my sight may have been considered tragic  but to lose my sense of humour would have been catastrophic.  -  Julie Woods – NZ speaker and coach

Julie’s sense of humour is delightful and puts people at ease when they’re around her, unless they’re in stitches from laughing!

I’ll leave you with one that fell out of my mouth last week, and Lyndon wrote it down.

6.  To journal is to be courageous, because one comes face-to-face with oneself.  -  Kerrie Phipps

Have a wonderful day, focus on thoughts that are useful, inspiring and motivating,

Cheering you on,

Kerrie

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Pope’s Sydney Visit

World Youth Day has Sydney buzzing. The atmosphere literally puts a smile on your face. Our first encounter was in Central Station at 9pm on Friday night, where young people walked through the hallways (with less luggage than Lyndon & I!) chanting and singing. I could hear them before I could see them, although the only words I could make out was “Go Jesus Go!” I was entranced, and disappointed that I had no-one to share the moment with. Lyndon was away getting train tickets and my camera was packed somewhere in the depths of someone’s suitcase.

World youth day pilgrimage viewed from the train.

Arriving in Sydney after a 6 hour train trip I’d felt too tired to talk to anyone, but I came to life, energised by their passion and wanting to run after them to engage them in conversation – however I was loaded down with too much baggage to capture the moment.

Hmmm… Ever found yourself missing opportunities because of the baggage you drag around? Since I think about thinking quite a bit, it leads me to consider the way we can miss ideas and creativity that is sitting there in the brain, because the brain is cluttered with baggage that could be described as the everyday busyness, the detail of doing and just thinking of everything that needs doing.

Just like we can organise our suitcases to travel lighter, we can go into the day lighter, organised and knowing our plan. We can live freely and lightly by noticing what we’re carrying and dumping whatever’s not useful. Are you carrying around grudges – that’s a massive suitcase on it’s own! Take a moment to think about your thinking and see if you can clear anything to access your creativity and intuition more readily. It’s a choice, moment by moment.

Cheering you on,

Kerrie