Poem

I came across this poem today:

• WILD GEESE – by Mary OLIVER

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting--
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

Moments

As I walked home tonight, I came across a cat that was sat at the edge of a garden. She looked at me with total serenity and peacefulness...I could swear she was smiling at me! And you know what? In that brief moment of 'communion' with that animal I was lifted and a smile broadened across my face. It was a moment of pure bliss. And it occurs to me that these moments are to be found everywhere in our daily lives, if only we stopped and paid attention more often. These small moments of grace are strewn all along our paths, waiting for us to notice them and to let ourselves be uplifted.

Is it the end...?

Evening Standard newspaper headline today:

TESCO: WE ARE GOING TO DOUBLE IN SIZE

Does anyone else think this may be the beginning of Armageddon??

I can handle all the terrorism, doomed economy etc headlines, but frankly, the above totally freaks me out. Surely if Tesco doubles in size that would mean that everything everywhere all the time would be TESCO...

God help us all.

The Resolution Solution

The other day I came across an article about New Year's resolutions and possibly one of the best resolutions I have ever heard. A woman gave hers as: 'I am going to smoke less and walk more'. Isn't that a fantastic resolution?? The reason it is so wonderful is because it is incredibly achievable. The same good intention would look like this for most of us: 'I am NEVER going to smoke again or do anything bad EVER AGAIN and I will run 400 miles a week and only eat raw food and never be angry again!' And what has happened here? We set ourselves up for failure by setting totally unrealistic goals. The wisdom here is that small, achievable goals lead to successes which will then in turn spur you on to achieve further goals. It will set in motion a positive momentum of success and a sense of achievement in your life.

Important: Find out what kind of goal/resolution setting works best for you. There will be those people for whom the 'all or nothing'-goals work perfectly well. Look at your past experiences with goal setting and examine what works best for you and what doesn't. Don't keep setting yourself up for failure. Set smart goals that you know are achievable for you at this point in your life. And remember to reward yourself when you achieve your goal.

Happy New Year.

Self-care

I am going through one of those periods in life when there's lots happening, lots of change afoot, with a fair bit of daily stress added for good measure. It's the kind of stressful situations that cannot be eliminated straight away; it's a matter of being patient and know that 'this too shall pass'.

I find myself in danger of forgetting the very basic rules of self-care that I am normally very good at. Isn't it funny how during times of stress, when most needed, we tend to let our good habits slip?

I have started taking the time again everyday to just sit and BE for 20 minutes. I am taking time for myself, and as little as 20 minutes per day is enough to calm my mind and for that stillness to stay with me for a few hours.

I am making sure I am eating well as the days grow shorter and the temperatures plummet. Plenty of comfort food, plenty of fresh veg and fruit. Plenty of warming food. I am trying out new recipes because change is as good as a rest.

I have started adding gentle daily exercise back into my routine. It's made a world of difference to my sense of strength and well-being.

I am getting my flat in order, cleaning and tidying, making sure there are nice smells abound, getting out the good bedding.

I am re-reading passages of books that inspire me and lift my spirit.

These are things that work for me. They ground me in a way that makes me more able to meet the challenges of life.

What habits to you need to get into to take better care of yourself? Don't leave it until you're too frazzled to stop.

Authentic Powerful Dreams

I am blogging!

What am I blogging about and who am I blogging to?

I am blogging about my own quest to live an authentic life and I am blogging for other people on, or interested in, the same journey. I am hoping to give tips and share experiences along the path so that it may help other people out there.

What does it mean to you to live authentically? Can you go to bed tonight and rest easy knowing that you have lived your life today in exactly the way you had hoped? Have you met challenges in a way that makes you proud? What can you do differently tomorrow?

We live in interesting times, and that's an understatement! You cannot turn on the TV or open a paper without being confronted with the world as we know it crumbling around us. It can be depressing and our lives are suffused with fears about various things. The old world is dying...which means something new is trying to be born. (Ever the optimist!)

What to do?

It is now more important than ever that we live well and that we live authentically. It needs an extra effort from each one of us now. An effort to make our lives better, and therefore make the world a better place to live in. I believe we are being called to step fully into our own power. It is time to stop living small lives and dream big dreams instead. That is the only way in which we can meet the world now. Positively and powerfully.

Although I am slightly biased of course, I believe that coaching will really come into its own during this time of global change. Now more than ever we need the coach working with us to keep pursuing our dreams and help us to create powerful visions for our lives and the world we live in.

As I continue this blog, I will elaborate gradually on what I understand by 'authentic living'.

Remember; there is only NOW.

Embrace your life today and make the changes you have been thinking about NOW.

This is a time to acknowledge how powerful you are and then go out and change the world.