January 2009 Vol 2, Issue 1

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 LIGHT ON THE SUBJECT
 the Creative Coaching Group newsletter

Greetings!

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HAPPY NEW YEAR!
      
As we start another brand new year full of promise and possibility, I am reminded of a verse called "Salutation to the Dawn" that we recited in unison every morning at summer camp as we raised the flag on the flagpole. It seems fitting somehow, as we madly delve into strategic annual planning and line up our yearly goal-setting grid, that we remind ourselves of the incredible joy and beauty that each day holds.
 
Salutation to the Dawn
Look to this day! For it is life, the very life of life.
In its brief course lie all the verities and realities of your existence:
The bliss of growth, the glory of action, the splendor of beauty.
For yesterday is but a dream and tomorrow only a vision.
But today well-lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness, and every tomorrow a vision of hope. 
Look well, therefore, to this day!  
 
I hope this day is a fabulous one for you! 
 
Cheers,
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Jan Carley
Certified Executive Coach and CEO of Creative Coaching Group
FEATURE ARTICLE:  OH NO!  NOT ANOTHER NEW YEAR GOAL-SETTING ARTICLE !
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No, this is not another New Year goal-setting article!
 
Rest easy.  I promise to release you from your goal-setting hell.  There are only 2 things I will ask of you.  The first one is that you defer starting your new year until February.
Huh?
 
Yup....let's use January - this month of rain, snow and darkness to PLAN.   Let's use this month ON PURPOSE to set up our new year.  No, it wasn't enough to just blithely list a bunch of resolutions when the clock struck midnight - and hey, how well does that ever work anyway?  Nope...no silly declarations this year, just breathing space to thoughtfully consider how you might like to create your 2009.
 
While you are "thoughtfully considering", the second thing I would like you to do is to think of your personal 2009 THEME.  Rather than goals, let's all create a yearly "theme" for ourselves. This "theme" will be your guiding light, your North Star, your compass and something you can reflect back to all year long.  As a more global theme, it can have many interpretations, and will hold space for you to remember in a more big-picture sense, what you hold important for your life in 2009.
 
My theme came quickly to me..."RELENTLESS SELF-CARE".  Year one of my business was exciting, challenging, invigorating, exhausting and ultimately took its toll on my health.  As anyone who has ever started their own business knows, it is very difficult to extricate oneself from the trap of working 24/7.   So for 2009 "relentless self-care" it is!  Now comes my real work for January - to figure out what "relentless self-care" means to me - in my work life, my personal life, my emotional life. 
 
What's your theme going to be?   Pick a word (or three) that resonate with you - a "Theme" that feels like one you want to live with all year. One of my clients chose "I am an Explorer" as her theme...another said "Laughter, Learning, Living". I would love to hear what you come up with - Click here to add yours to my blog.  
 
And for now, put your slippers on, put your feet up and relax...February will be here before you know it!
LIGHTBULB OF THE MONTH 
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 A New Year's resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other.  ~Author Unknown
            
SOUL SERIES AT THE SPA - a workshop series for women
 
wine and chocolateStart 2009 with a new sense of empowerment around money! 
 
WORKSHOP # 3   Wed. January 21  7 - 9:30 pm
 
WEALTHY FROM THE INSIDE OUT 
I am teaming up with Women and Wealth expert, Tracy Theemes, to bring you this unique workshop that will forever change your relationship to money.
 
 "We all have life sentences embedded in our beliefs and our worldview" (about money). "It is possible to rewrite them and consciously re-script our responses to include the inspiration we need to ground ourselves around money."  - Lynne Twist, THE SOUL OF MONEY
 
You will leave this workshop with:
-a sense of empowerment around money and your relationship to it
-an understanding of why women and men approach money matters differently
-an identification of your personal wealth health and clear direction on how to leverage your personal assets for greater happiness
-strategies for maintaining your emotional well-being during these anxiety-producing economic times
 
WEALTHY FROM THE INSIDE OUT is the third in Le Petit Spa's SOUL SERIES AT THE SPA  - a workshop series for women committed to celebrating, nourishing and enhancing the whole individual.    click here to read more
 
Registration Fee: $47
(includes wine and chocolate reception and workshop)
 
START YOUR NEW YEAR IN FEBRUARY!
                                                               
 2009 Lightbulb"I'm Starting my New Year in February" Package 
 
Treat yourself to a guilt-free way to start 2009. Set yourself up for success by doing goal-setting and planning in January (forget the wild New Year's Eve promises!) and then actually launch your new year in February with the support of your coach, Jan Carley.  
QUICK LINKS
 
P.S.  What is your 2009 THEME going to be?