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December 20, 2010
T'is the Season!  


 T's the season for snow!

I love this time of year! Despite the frenzy and rush of it all, the last weeks in December mark a special time in the year. Finally - we all get to slow down just a bit. It's a chance to catch up more meaningfully with friends, family -- and ourselves! I'll be catching up with my "people" (family, friends) and looking forward to some great reading, movies, skiing, holiday get-togethers and more!. In particular, I am really looking forward to getting into one of my long-standing traditions: Year-end/New Year Reflections

 

Every year, I take time to reflect on the year past and the year ahead. What am I celebrating? How did I grow? What was last year really all about? And going forward, what will I create? What needs to be honoured more fully -- and more! 

 

How about you? What are you looking forward to and how will you acknowledge the year past? What will you be thinking about? Planning for....?


If you are interested in taking some time for an 'end-of-year/start anew' reflection, see the first story: "12 Questions to Complete Your Year and Start Anew". If you've seen my past years' questions - you'll see a buffed up version this year. 

 

In lieu of paper cards this year, Big Cheese Coaching (and Chadnick Communications) has made a special holiday donation to a few charities*. This is in gratitude of my wonderful network of clients, associates and friends of Big Cheese Coaching and Chadnick Communications. You all are part of my TGIM Work-Life and I'm grateful to each of you.

 

Wishing you and your loved ones health, happiness and a safe and meaningful holiday season. See you in 2011!

 

*Special holiday donations from Big Cheese Coaching/Chadnick Communications are being made to: Nature Conservancy of Canada, Montreal Children's Hospital, and Ve'havta

 

P.S. Speaking of Gratitude check out the story below about a special project I am involved with called "The Gratitude Book Project."

 

Warmly,

Eileen Chadnick, PCC, ACPC, ABC
Big Cheese Coaching and Chadnick Communications

12 Questions to Complete Your Year and Start Anew:   

With just a couple weeks away from the beginning of a brand new year, I'm preparing for one of my favorite reflection opportunities: "The End-of-Year / New Year Reflection."  Engaging in questions is a great way to prompt a more meaningful reflection. Here are 12 "Thought-Starter" Questions that I check in on each year - and thought I'd share with you.  

 

THE YEAR PAST: 

 

1) What are you grateful for from the year past? What went well? What 'gifts' came your way? What about yourself and others are you grateful for?

 

2) What do you need to acknowledge yourself for? Think about  your accomplishments, personal or professional growth, etc. 

 

3) What were the lessons from past year? About yourself and/or anything else?

 

4) How did you honour your values and highest priorities last year? How did this play out and what was the impact? Don't judge if you some didn't go as well - just acknowledge and perhaps think about what you want/need to do for a different result next year.

 

5) What do you need to let go of or complete before the year is done? In your reflection, you may also consider some parts of the year past that perhaps did not go as well as hoped -- or perhaps there were some tougher circumstances at play this year. What do you need to do to complete this chapter and/or learn from them and create a new, fresh start?

 

6) If 2010 had a 'theme' for you - what would you name it?

 

THE YEAR AHEAD:

 

7) What do you want for yourself in 2011 -- and what will you do to actualize this 'want'? Of course, you can expand this reflection to include what you want for others (people, communities, etc).

 

8) How will you bring more of your strengths and values to your life and work? If you don't feel connected to your strengths & values, what commitment can you make to learn more? Hint: check out my tgimworklife blog and type 'strengths' for tips and articles - and/or get in touch!

 

9) How will you stay inspired and focused next year?

 

10) What are your personal learning and development goals for the year ahead?

 

11) How will you stay resilient? In what ways can you count on yourself if times get tough? Who else is there for you?

 

12) If there was a theme for what you want 2011 to be about for you -- what would you name it? .

 

 

Now for each of these questions, I can think of at least 12 more! So as you engage, feel free to ask yourself many more questions that are meaningful for you.

The Gratitude Book Project...already a bestseller! 

 

The Gratitude Book ProjectLate this fall, I was invited to be a contributor to a special project called the "The Gratitude Book Project." The publisher, Donna Kozik, was compiling gratitude anecdotes for each day of the year from over 300 contributors. We were each invited to answer this question: "What are you grateful for?"

 

An easy question (because I'm grateful for so much!) yet a very challenging question because we only had 200 words -- how do I choose!?  Well, I did and my little anecdote is now part of this special book that in its first day of sales (Dec 15th) already made its way to Bestseller status on Amazon.com! The Gratitude Book Project ranked in the top 300 sellers in the category of Success. Yes - habits of gratitude do contribute to your personal and professional success!!

 

Apparantly, this means I can now call myself a 'best-selling author' -- not bad for 200 words:) You can read more about this book and why I participated in this project at my TGIMworklife blog. And for now, if you are looking for some inspiration, consider getting a copy for yourself - click here to buy from Amazon. Proceeds from the book (from main booksellers) are being directed to charities as well.

 

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To your TGIM Work-life!

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In This Issue
12 Questions for the New Year
The Gratitude Book Project
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TGIM Woklife Blog
Unretired Life Blog

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