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.

It’s time to celebrate!

You might think that I’m getting in early for Christmas, or my birthday – which is now less than two weeks away, but no!  Anytime is actually great for celebrating, and it’s something I do with coaching clients on a regular basis.

The kind of celebrating is one you can do alone or with friends, but a piece of paper is a really great help either way.

Here’s what it looks like… list all of your recent achievements; consider all the little things you’ve done that you felt proud of, even for a moment.

1. Planted my own rocket and basil

2. Tidied my desktop and keep files managed

3. Helped a client gain an ROI of 80% after the second week of coaching!

4. Inspired myself writing out my presentation for Friday

5. Blogged for 100 consecutive Days – inspired self and others, and learned to insert photos!

6. Studied Theoretical Foundations of Coaching with David Rock

This is a simple example list, and I’m going to do a more comprehensive one over the next few days, but I just wanted to share an example. It’s too easy to look at what’s not yet been completed, or see skills that are lacking, but that kind of thinking doesn’t tend to move you forward.

When you look at what you’ve accomplished, and what you’ve learned, you can then ask yourself – so what does this mean for me? Now what can I tackle that I once thought was too hard or too scary?

When I was in New Zealand a few years ago, I stood at the top of a water slide called “the coffin” because once you let go of the top, you were plunged into absolute darkness, speeding down (and around in unexpected directions). My brother-in-law said to me “this is the scariest one” and I stood waiting for the green light and realised that I felt scared.  It was so easy to take on what he said, which was just how that slide was known.  My thought “I’m actually a bit scared” was followed by “What! You just did a bungy-jump last week!” and all of a sudden the anxiety was gone, replaced by confidence and anticipation.  A scary idea?  Bring it on, I’ve tackled some of those before – and come out the other side with a great sense of accomplishment and valuable learning.

What are you going to celebrate?  And what can you then do as a result of seeing how amazing you are?

Cheering you on,

Love Kerrie

 

 

Inspired Blogging

One of the things that I love about blogging is seeing the comments that land at the bottom of the page, especially from people like Miki from South Africa!  Another is that I get to share the excitement and learning and I feel like I’m not keeping all the good news to myself!  Good news, or just happy, grateful thoughts – it’s all good and I can just “put it out there” for whoever wants it!

I’m trying to wrap up our year in a nutshell for our newsletter that is going out today.  It’s a challenge!  I can see why last year I wrote my blog “I’m thankful” (see December entries) and just sent a brief Christmas email to people inviting them to see it!

Again, I’m thankful, and celebrating the completion of the year (some of it, we’re so glad is over!) and recognising the very steep learning curve we’ve been on.  We have met so many awesome people this year, traveled (just within Australia this year, but it’s big enough!)  We’ve been to Brisbane, Sydney (countless times), Gold Coast, Broken Hill, Tooraweenah, Grenfell, Forbes and West Wyalong.  We’ve attended weddings, funerals and Intensive Care, moved house (we’re now in South Dubbo if you missed that bit of news).
I’ve coached fabulous people in Country NSW, New  Zealand, Singapore and Taiwan, mentored new coaches from Adelaide to Indonesia and discovered the following  quote from Anais Nin to be so true:

“Each new friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.”

So if you have stepped into my world in 2008, or anytime previously… I thank you.  You have made a difference, whether it’s been a pleasant relationship or a challenging one, it’s one I am grateful for, as you have helped me grow.  I hope that in our interactions I may have helped you grow too.

Cheering you on,

Love Kerrie

PS. To see the above-mentioned, now published newsletter with photo’s and more inspiration, see
Our latest newsletter Click Here Now.

World Gratitude Day

World Gratitude Day is tomorrow, Sunday 21 September, another opportunity, as everyday is, to reflect on how much we have to be grateful for. I’m so excited to be able to introduce you to someone in my world I’m grateful for. Julie Woods, “That Blind Woman” from New Zealand, has been preparing to launch her blog on World Gratitude Day, and I know we’re in for something special. You’ll hear more of Julie! I’m so thankful for the opportunity to be her Coach, supporting her on a most amazing journey. I’ve discovered an incredibly inspiring woman who has a story to share with the world… which she will do – stay tuned!

As I was typing this, an email came in which described a possible scenario in Heaven… the Receiving Room was buzzing with activity, with Angels handling lots of requests, the Package & Delivery Room, also very busy sending out all the blessings requested, but the acknowledgment room was very quiet as not many Thank You’s came in. The email continued with these words…

‘If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep you are richer than 75% of this world. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish, you are among the top 8% of the worlds wealthy.’
‘And if you get this on your own computer, you are part of the 1% in the world who has that opportunity.’
‘If you woke up this morning with more health than illness…. you are more blessed than the many who will not even survive this day.’
‘If you have never experienced the fear in battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation … you’re ahead of 700 million people in the world.’
‘If you can attend a church without the fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death you experience a freedom three billion people in the world don’t have.’
‘If your parents are still alive and still married …you are very rare.’
‘If you can hold your head up and smile, you are not the norm, you’re unique to all those in doubt and despair.’

Happy World Gratitude Day!!!

Ideas for making the most of World Gratitude Day (or any day!)
List 10 things you’re grateful for.
Smile.
List another 10 things you’re grateful for.
Smile some more.
List 10 more things you’re grateful for.
(You can’t help but smile now)
Share your list with someone.
Tell someone why you’re grateful that they’re in your life.
Stick your list where you’ll see it regularly.
Add to your list everyday.
Notice how much you’re smiling now…
And how many others are smiling with you!

Cheering you on,

Love Kerrie

Celebrating our Biz

Launch parties are fun!  Okay, any kind of party I’m involved in usually is, if I may say so myself… 🙂

Friends, clients and local members of Create the Life Club gathered at Stephens Patisserie last night for 90 minutes of networking, eating and drinking (of course) and hearing from a few people who are passionate about learning, growing and sharing the adventure.

Award winning business owner, Mark Crutcher shared his inspiring story, of going from huge financial pressure to owning 3 successful IGA supermarkets today, weaving in his life lessons in beautifully.

Some of his tips were – Attitude is everything! The impact of no longer blaming others but taking responsibility is enormous – and don’t take on a negative mindset of people around you! You only get one shot at life – make the most of it!

Along with Karen Saunders, we shared an overview of Create the Life Club.com to uncover what we’re so excited about, gave away a few gifts to new members and other cheerleaders, and captured lots of great moments on video – look out You Tube!

Big thanks to Karen Saunders from Clarity 4 Business (along with a big high-five), Shelley Stephens from Stephen’s Patisserie, IT West, and Western Student Connections and Mark Crutcher of course, for all their support in making it a great night.

If you’ve missed the excitement so far, check it out by downloading some awesome resource FOR FREE – click on this banner to discover Create the Life Club!

Exciting possibilities!

As I write this I’m almost overwhelmed with a sense of wonder… I have been on a massive learning journey for the last 5 years or so (well, all of life is a learning journey) and I’m delighted to be launching this website www.createthelifeclub.com with my incredible husband.

There are so many people in my world who I’m incredibly grateful for, and the list starts with Lyndon, who I’ve been married to for 14 years, and my truly wonderful parents. It continues with my wonderful friends, clients and colleagues, and the new connections I make each week!

Almost everyday I’m having inspiring conversations with people who are pushing the boundaries in their lives and achieving more than they’d previously thought possible, and one of the things I’m so excited about with this website is the opportunity to continue building a community of like minded people.  I can’t wait to introduce you to each other!!

We’ll soon be launching a forum so you can all chat and learn from each other, and running telecalls where I’ll be inviting people who are leaders in their fields, to share their tips and inspiring stories.

I love the way we can make a difference in each other’s lives, and make a significant difference in the world.

I am truly thankful to be where we are at now, and grateful that the journey continues.

To the journey!