What a great day – I went to a women’s biz met this am and ended up booking 2 speaking gigs w/potential for an ongoing training pkg. Not bad for 1hr of networking.

Just finished up with last client of the day. Off to relax with the family and a nice cold lemonade

There’s still room in tonight’s FR¤EE Rockin’ the Boat Teleclass http://ping.fm/QA5vn

Washing Windows in the Rain…

It was raining here the other day. One of those cold mixed kinds of rain that’s more like slush than anything else. As I walked down the street I passed a man washing a storefront’s windows in the rain and it got me thinking…

How many of us do the metaphoric equivalent of that every day? How many of us go to jobs that don’t nurture our life’s purpose, wasting our precious energy on pursuits that are disconnected from our authentic selves?

In the current economic climate it may seem the “safe” thing to do – better a job we don’t like than no job at all. But I challenge you to shift your perspective around that. If we’ve learned anything in the past few months, its that what was once considered “safe” is no longer necessarily so. All bets are off, so to speak and the old tried and true ways of the past no longer work in this new world.

Put that squeegee down and take a good look around you. This is the perfect opportunity to reinvent yourself!

Let’s look at a few easy steps to get you started:

1. Take stock of your current skills and interests. If you’re feeling stuck, enlist as close friend or family member to help. You’ll likely be pleasantly surprised at how much you’ve already got going for you.

2. Determine what you would like to add to what you already have to offer. Do you need to sharpen your computer or public speaking skills, for instance? Honing your skills keeps you current and marketable to a wider audience.

3. Look into ways to enhance those skills. Find out what classes are available through your local adult ed learning annex or through online courses. These are great resources for economical education opportunities.

4. Realistically access how much time you’ll have available to pursue your studies. Be honest – if you overextend yourself you’ll be less likely to follow through (think failed New Year’s resolutions here). On the flip side, look at your underutilized time and make yourself a priority when reorganizing your schedule.

5. Reach out to your peeps. Even if you’re feeling down or overwhelmed in your situation. Now is not the time to isolate yourself. Being around like-minded people will support you to in pursuing your goals.

Go ahead – make a start today. Take the first steps and as you begin to connect with your authentic self you will feel empowered to reinvent “safe” to living YOUR life on YOUR terms.

Remember, washing windows in the rain only leaves you wet.

Walkin’ in sunshine,

Lynn

It’s a Good Life…

I love hearing snippets of coffee shop conversations. The young man standing near me just said to his companion “… it’s a good life.”

It made me start thinking about what constitutes a “good life”. For me it’s all about quality. The ability to earn a living doing what I love – being of service to others, while creating a lifestyle that supports and encourages myself and my loved ones.
A “good life” is one that is in alignment with your authentic self – who your truly are at your core being and it speaks to your higher purpose.

What constitutes a “good life” to you? Are you living that “good life”? If not, what’s holding you back? What changes could you begin to put in place today to move you towards that life?

A “good life” isn’t necessarily an easy one to create, or maintain – worthwhile endeavors seldom are. However, whether you believe this life is the only chance you have, or one of many on the path toward enlightenment, shouldn’t it be a “good life”?

It’s A Dog’s Life…

My boyfriend Ray and our youngest dog Winston recently got worldwide attention for their mis-adventure and Winston’s heroics.

Check out the video under “Greatest American Dog – July 10th” (their story starts about mid-way through the feed) SheKnows.com

Winston is a papparazzi’s dream – he loves the attention!

A Time to Rest…

Last Thursday was the first day of the Celtic New Year.

Traditionally observed as the beginning of a time for resting after the final harvests of the growing season. The Great Mother Earth has given Her bounty and is now able to replentish Her resources during Winter’s slumber. Taking thier cue from the land, the people also retreated inside to rest and heal. This is how it was for many centuries.

Lately, we have fallen out of sync with the rhythm of nature and mindlessly try to add more activities into our already busy lives. We take no time to rest and ignore our own bodies needs as we ignore the needs of our overburdened planet.

Guess what??? This is NOT living our lives in balance!

We’re all guilty of it to some extent. Even I have found myself trying to fit in “just one more…” Occasionally taking on extra duties or responsibilities so that you can benefit from it at another time is one thing, however when “another time” never comes and the extra are now the norm, something’s gotta give!

Unfortunately, that something is oftentimes US – our bodies, our minds, our spirits. In our quest to cram more “living” into our lives we end up just existing, rushing from caffeine fix to caffeine fix, drive-thru meal to drive-thru meal. Never stopping to appreciate our surroundings, the people we interact with on a daily basis, or ourselves for that matter.

I challenge you today to stop, just for a moment. Go outside and take a deep breath of the cool autumn air. Allow your senses to become aware of the external changing season and your own internal changing season, as your body desires rest and comfort.

It is this awareness and honoring of the seasons of our lives that will help us stay balanced as we navigate through the chaos of the modern world, so we can truly live.

Deep peace to you,

Lynn

Balance Day Has Arrived!

The Autumnal Equinox – the day of perfect balance between day and night, before we slip into the dark time of the year, the time of rest and reflection. The perfect day for me to launch my new website www.dragonflylifeinbalance.com a site devoted to helping to find balance in our energy and our lives.

The thing about preparing to launch this site devoted to finding balance, is that my life was quite out of balance for the couple of weeks before launch day. I found myself rushing home right after a full day of work to hop on the computer and staying up til the wee small hours every night/morning as I put together the finishing touches.

That’s the thing about balance – it’s the point between the extreme swings of the pendulum. It is something we have to seek out, or we will miss it for watching those extremes.

So now I find myself there again. Finally able to rest, to reflect and to spend time with my ever-patient loved ones.

Wishing you balance and joy,

Lynn

Welcome to the Balance Blog!

As I put the finishing touches on my new website www.dragonflylifeinbalance.com, I decided to create a blog to go along with it.

Here I’ll be addressing the issues I face in keeping my life in balance.

Recently I’ve been working with one of my coaches on adding more relaxation to my life. With growing my practice, building my website and working on my coaching certification I have found myself with precious little free time.  That good old puritan work ethic makes me feel as if I have to fill that space with more work!

Well, we all know that ain’t right.

So, I’ve very deliberately added “down-time” to my schedule.  I am making time to practice yoga, I’m getting massages on a regular basis and I’m being mindful of being fully present when I spend quality time with Ray.  I can’t express enough how very important that is.  Life is far too short to waste the time we spend with our loved ones thinking about the other things we have going on.

I’m not saying it’s been an easy transition for me.  It has, however been incredibly rewarding.  The time I spend tending to my self-care needs and to my relationship have been rewarding in their own right.  I am also enjoying the ripple effect of refreshing and renewing my energy and my spirit.  So when I do concentrate on work I’m not “running on empty”.

I’ll let you know how this is evolving and any other balance challenges that come up in future postings.

Namaste,

Lynn