The Coaching Toys Blog

This week's creative spark is from Filling The Well, Spirited Nourishment for Creative Trailblazers, Simple Ways to Sprinkle a Little Soul Into Your Daily Life by Suzanne Vadnais Monson

Today's Gift

I walk the same route every morning before my work day begins. I listen to the birds, breathe in the early morning fresh air, and notice the details of the world around me. I usually find comfort in the ritual of this daily exercise.

And some days I have to force myself to walk. It’s too muggy, or too cold, or I have too much work to do, or I just want to sleep in. On these days I look for little things to enliven my step.

Here’s what I found today:

• A man walking with prayer beads, quietly chanting, greeting me with warm brown eyes when our paths crossed.
• A pure black bunny.
• A woman running along the lake in a perfectly coordinated outfit, smiling and inviting me to have a fabulous day.
• A couple with the matching shelties, deep in conversation.
• A woman marveling over how cool and dark it was.
• A red fox, pausing three times to turn and yip some mysterious greeting.
• The thick scent of pine trees.
• A perfect pink sunrise kissing the horizon.

I am reminded that every time I muster the determination to put on my walking shoes and head outside I am rewarded. No walk is routine. There is always a gift. I only have to open my door and put one foot in front of the other. To help me stay present with my walking program, I make note of my favorite gift from each walk when I return. Some days all I need to do to motivate myself is read my gift list.

Sparkers - Filling The Well © 2007 Suzanne Vadnais Monson for Coaching Toys Inc - Sparkers, all rights reserved.

Sparkers by Suzanne

Response to a recent poll on goals

I ran across a poll recently at www.theartrepreneur.com asking artists if they had a plan and goals for their art career. A whopping 73% at last count did not have a clue where they were going next. I don't think artists are alone in this. What is it about the whole idea of planning that has people run in the other direction. Even in the face of conventional wisdom and scientific studies that point to a greater chance of success with goals. Is it a resistance to a linear structure? A fear of success? Lack of faith in the ability to follow through? Not knowing how to create good goals?

Do you have a vision for yourself? Do you have goals?
Why or why not? I'd love to hear your thoughts on the subject.

The poll inspired me to write an article - It's posted on my coaching web site

 Up a Creek Without a Vision  by Marcy Nelson-Garrison
Is goal setting and creating a vision for your life and work difficult for you? If so you are not alone. In a recent poll of 1086 artists - only 7% had goals that were written down - most of them had no idea what was next for them..... Read the full article here Up a Creek Without a Vision

 

Friday Spark - Reframe the View

This weeks Sparker is from Reframe the View by Christie Latona
Using the power of metaphor to reframe what's limiting you and to discover what's possible.

New Beginnings

School is back in session and with it comes a host of crisp metaphors. It is about new beginnings (a favorite new outfit, a box of new crayons, a new backpack, a new teacher, and sometimes a new school). In our school system, the kids are encouraged to set intentions about the quality of work they intend to do. In our home, the structures get modified and re-implemented in the hopes of making getting out the door in the morning and getting homework done at night less stressful and more productive.

Somehow these new beginnings and setting of intentions are much more positive than my experience of the New Year’s Resolution. Perhaps it is because we EXPECT the crayons to break, the backpack to get torn. We EXPECT to have to constantly evolve the systems we put in place to make routines more manageable.

Look at those places in your life that need a new beginning, a fresh start. Ask yourself:

• What are my crayons and my backpack? What new supplies do I need? (No guilt over your current ones being no longer useful. We understand that supplies become worn out from use.)

• What subjects am I taking? Choose things you love and/or have a strength in. No more than 4 please!

• What intentions do I have around my performance in these subjects? Straight “A”s is an outcome. The intention behind that is about effort, commitment and doing your homework.

• What systems do I need to put in place to support those intentions? For example, in our house we have a family homework center that has all the supplies for doing homework (which we all do together). Before bed we make sure backpacks are packed and clothes are laid out to make the morning go more smoothly.

Expect to have to modify the systems and to replenish the supplies. Most everything that gets used a lot needs replacing or refreshing.

Read more creative Sparkers by Christie at www.coachingtoys.com/reframetheview.html

Sparkers - Reframe the View © 2006 Christie Latona for Coaching Toys Inc - Sparkers, all rights reserved.

We would love to hear your comments and experience with this Sparker.

Women Can Do Anything

I was recently interviewed for an article (along with several other interesting entrepreneurs) in a great web ezine called Woman Can Do Anything. The article is called  I Have an Idea: Now What? written by Lorette C. Luzajic  www.thegirlcanwrite.net

Here's the intro;

Poor Marge Simpson—she’s tried real estate, carpentry, pretzel sales, popsicle-stick art and the police force, but always ends up dejected. Marge has plenty of ideas but none of them ever see fruition.

Then there’s a different Marj. WCDA Business Member Marj Sawers, the dynamo of Business Connectory, started selling snack-sized cups of handpicked blueberries to train passengers when she was eight. Later, she tried wedding shows and planning, trendspotting, connecting businesses with services, website hosting, connecting neighbours online and mentoring. And she still does it all!

I bet if we took a random poll and asked women if they ever feel like the first Marge, every last one of us would raise her hand.

The secret to success
Or would we? Coaching expert Marcy Nelson-Garrison says.....

To find out what I had to say go here; I Have an Idea: Now What?

Friday Spark - Practicing Oneness

This week's Creative Spark is from Practicing Oneness, Gentle encouragement and inspiration for choosing love instead of fear and connection instead of separation . . .  by Ann Strong

Calm Your Cynic

Our inner cynical voice will not help us create our ideal life, and yet, we often let it run the show.  You know the voice – the one that says, “it will never work, you tried before and couldn’t do it, you aren’t good enough, you don’t know how, you’ll just get hurt.”  And then asks, “who do you think you are, why bother, when would you ever find the time?”  The cynic stops us before we ever take our first step.

Next time you hear the cynic, try something new.  Give it a voice.  Allow it to run its course and write down all of its comments.  Get it out of you and onto the paper.  Write until the voice is finally silent. 

Then review your notes and begin a new list – one that declares all the self-limiting concepts you want to dump.  You may want to release fear, skepticism, anger, apathy, worry, indifference and/or hopelessness.  Imagine yourself putting these concepts in a mental dumpster or actually tear up the list and throw it away. 

Then make a third list – one that delegates to the highest part of yourself (whatever you believe that to be – God, Spirit, Higher Power, Source, All That Is) whatever you’d like to happen.  For example, if you’re working on getting more clients, you might delegate something like:  getting an abundance of clients easily and effortlessly, releasing whatever stands in the way of getting new clients, having fun getting new clients.

Allow your inner cynic to help you create whatever you desire.  By using the critical voice as a signal to become more present and consciously choose what you’d like, you have created a most unlikely ally!

Sparkers - Practicing Oneness © 2007 Ann Strong for Coaching Toys Inc - Sparkers & the Coaching Toys Blog, all rights reserved. 

Read more about Practicing Oneness by Ann Strong