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February 2010 - Catalyst! newsletter from Sue Cowan Coaching
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Issue 7
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| A note from Sue
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Hello!,
It was school "ski week" holiday this week. We headed for the slopes for a few days. Hoping for great snow, we were not disappointed.
My original theme for the month was relationships (to coincide with Valentine's Day) but then....to be short, life got in the way.
Valentine's day passed. And with it the perfect opportunity for the relationships topic.
There were the after-effects and reality of the horrors of the Haiti earthquake. The thrills, spills, joy and disappointments of the Winter Olympics - and the tragic accidents too.
This led me to the theme of gratitude.
With a safe roof over my head, plentiful clean water, food on the table for me and my loved ones, and nothing more than the relatively harmless Geneva weather to contend with, it hit home how much I have to be grateful for. Like most (more probably- all) of you reading this, I have all the basic things I need in my daily life.
And having returned from the mountains, I am grateful for my health and fitness. For the opportunity to experience with friends and family the wonders of nature: the snow-capped mountains and mist-filled valleys like this..... to be enjoyed within an hour's drive from home.
I took this photo while skiing two weekends ago. Four of us stayed overnight in this rustic refuge - L'Igloo, 1600m altitude - off the slopes above Morillon/Les Carroz in the Haute-Savoie, France.
How lucky we are indeed.
And grateful.
What are you grateful for in your life today?
Sue
You can email me at sue@suecowancoaching.com
phone me on (+41) 076 2055 076 (mobile)or visit my website www.suecowancoaching.comwhere you can also read past editions of this newsletter via the archive.
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The Power of Gratitude.
What are you grateful for?
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Gratitude is not a new idea - most spiritual practices and philosophies emphasise it, but in recent years "gratitude" has shifted from being an idea - or a virtue - to a concrete tool that people can use to become happier and healthier. Long-term studies support gratitude's effectiveness, suggesting that a positive, appreciative attitude contributes to greater success in work, improved health, peak performance in sports and business, a higher sense of well-being, and a faster rate of recovery from surgery.
But while we may acknowledge gratitude's many benefits, it can still be difficult to sustain. Many of us have become used to noticing instead what is negative, damaged, undone or lacking in our lives.
For gratitude to meet its full healing potential in our lives, it needs to become more of a habit: we have to learn a new way of looking at things, and that can take some time.
That's why practising gratitude makes so much sense. When we practice giving thanks for all we have instead of complaining about what we lack, we give ourselves the chance to see life more as an opportunity and a blessing.
Remember that gratitude isn't a blindly optimistic approach in which the bad things in life are whitewashed or ignored. It's more a question of where we put our focus and attention. Pain and injustice do exist in this world, but when we focus on the gifts of life, we gain more of a feeling of well-being. We develop our appreciation for those around us. We often feel more energised to reach out and help others. We feel we have some power to positively affect our world. This in turn leads to feelings of well-being...and gratitude.
It's a self-sustaining cycle!
Some ways to practice gratitude:
- keep a list of things for which you are grateful or thankful (see below) You might want to keep a journal with daily, weekly or monthly lists...keeping them in view will remind you to think in a grateful way.
- practice gratitude around the dinner table, or make it part of your night-time routine
- make an exercise of finding the hidden blessing in a challenging situation
- when you feel like complaining or moaning, make a gratitude list instead...you may be amazed how much better you feel!
- notice how developing a "gratitude attitude" is impacting your life.
As you practice, and an inner shift begins to occur, you may be delighted to discover a difference in your feelings of contentedness and hopefulness......That's gratitude at work.
What's your "top ten" list of things to be grateful for?
We usually first think of our health, our loved ones....(and these are often the things and people we most take for granted!) But what about the less obvious things that are all around? What (else) do we take for granted instead of being grateful for? What moves us? What would fill our hearts daily if we would just notice it?
Try these for starters to get you going:
- The senses. Sight, sound, touch, smell, taste - daily miracles each of them.
- The plant world. From the delicate unfurling of a fern to the productivity of a late-summer tomato plant...nature's tenderness and exuberance is something to behold.
- Opportunities and posssibilities. Our steady companion opportunity is always ready to take us down a path as yet unknown (hint: we have to say "yes" and go there..) And, no matter how many have passed you by, new opportunities will eventually come along...
- Beauty. What do your eyes feast on? What splendour makes your soul rejoice? It's all around us, every day. How often do you stop to drink it in?
So, what is your "top ten" list of the things YOU are grateful for?
Why not take some time out to write it NOW....
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Quote of the Month
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"Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty, not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some"
Charles Dickens
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Visioning : Part 3 - Making your Vision your Reality
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In the past two newsletters we covered what visioning is, why it is important, and how to create your own vision. This month covers how to create a plan and take actionable steps to turn your vision into reality.
Here I share with you how to take the revelations from your visioning experiences (see last month) and make them real. During that process, you probably discovered some things about yourself that you would like to pursue. To take the revelations and turn them into an actionable plan:
- Ask yourself, "What's most important?" - When you created your vision you wrote down many thoughts and goals...some are long-term and some you can begin to focus on immediately. Some were big stretches, while others maybe just require some simple changes. The key now is to prioritise what's most important for you.
- Ask yourself, "What do I want to work on now?" - There is not enough time in the day to work on everything you want all at once, so think about what you can begin to work on NOW. What changes can you make immediately? And what action steps can you take now towards the visions that will take longer to achieve? For instance, you may decide that your top three priorities are to go on a "date" with your spouse every week, lose 10 pounds by summer, and buy a cabin in the mountains by 2012. The first priority is an immediate change. The second one will be a series of changes over time, which you can start now. And the third one is a longer-term vision that is just as much a priority but will involve more preliminary steps such as researching locations, prices, and setting up a savings plan.
- Ask yourself, "What do I do first?" - after you have answered 1. and 2. the next step is to determine what's first. For the things you want to pursue now, write down what you will do, and when. For instance: get a babysitter, make reservations, stop by the gym and organise a training session by Friday. Complete these and write more action steps, and so on.
- Be SMART with your goals- Clearly define your goals in detail using the SMART model. Ask yourself if the goal is: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely.
- Take action- Now it's time to take action. Action is habitual. You are either in the habit of action or of inaction. Take that first step, keep moving forward, and create a habit of action. You have come along way up to this point, don't let anything hold you back. START NOW. Nothing will happen without action!
- Visualise what you want- Discovering, writing and planning your vision is one thing, but visualising it is EVERYTHING. You must take the time to see your vision, to experience it, and to feel yourself in it. Make it a multi-sensory experience, all in your mind's eye. Get pictures of your goals and place them where you can see them: this will give you the upper hand for accomplishing what you desire.
- Believe- Belief is another foundational principle to being able to realise your goals. It's one thing to dream it, another thing to believe it can be so. Write down why you believe it can be so. Think about things in the present tense as if they are a reality. Use affirmations to build your belief. And don't give way to self-limiting thoughts.
- Never give up- "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again!" You can't be beaten unless you allow yourself to be, and quit. As long as you get back up, brush yourself off and try again when you experience a setback, you can't lose. If you can't lose, then the only other option is to win!
Next month, some tips on how to keep "in action" and keep on track...
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About Sue Cowan Coaching
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If you are curious to know more about what I do, or about coaching in general, then why not visit my coaching website
 Please contact me if you have any questions or comments.info@suecowancoaching.comTel. (+41) 022 757 0849 Mob. (+41) 076 2055 076 www.suecowancoaching.com |
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