December 2012
Vol 5, Issue 12
Creative Coaching Group
LIGHT ON THE SUBJECT
 the Creative Coaching Group newsletter

Dear ,

Season's Greetings!

Jan in Santa HatI am so excited to share with you my first-ever video, 7 Holiday Stress-Busting Strategies from the Experts.  Click here to view the 5 minute video filmed on my roof deck with my iphone! (complete with city sirens, wind and horns beeping) Doing the video definitely took me out of my comfort zone but actually turned out to be a lot of fun. I plan to do a bunch more in 2013 and would love to hear your content ideas. 

 

I hope reading the feature article and working through the exercises below (with accompanying pdf handouts) will inspire you to approach your new year in a bigger picture fashion. I know you will be excited about the possibilities that are opened up when you get past the oppressive goal-setting to-do lists and get clear on and start living into your big H.A.I.R.Y vision.  

 

Thanks so much to all of you, my faithful readers, for your support in 2012, your comments, questions, kudos and feedback. I truly am honoured to support you on your path to achieve harmony from the inside out. Here's to a New Year of extraordinary possibilities for all of you!

 

Cheers,

jan signature

Jan Carley  BA,CEC,PCC

Your Possibility Coach   Creative Coaching Group

604 873-1763  e: jan@creativecoachinggroup.com 

Feature Article: New Years Resolutions are Bunk!

NY Resolutions are bunkI am so over New Year's goal setting. Done. Kaput. New Years Resolutions are bunk (n.  insincere, empty talk) There, I have said it.

 

We know that the bulk of us ditch our New Years Resolutions before the end of January anyway. And it is said the definition of insanity is to do the same things the same way and expect a different result - right?   So let's shake it up a bit this year shall we?

 

First of all, let's talk about why New Years resolutions have such a low follow-through rate. I think that one of the biggest reasons that we don't sustain our initial enthusiasm for our "goals" past mid-January is that we rarely connect our goals with our feelings. We do not create a compelling reason to achieve that goal and do not answer the fundamental question of "Why" we want to achieve that goal. Instead, we create a situation where the achievement of goals becomes yet another line on the never-ending "To Do"  lists. Our goals become another "task", another thing to "get done" so we consequently resist them. This over-zealous focus on goals adds more pressure and another layer of guilt to our lives.

 

Let's take a break from the New Years resolutions this year and instead, focus our energies and imaginations on our Big H.A.I.R.Y Vision for the decade ahead. You can't build the house before you design it. Instead of creating a linear "DOING" Task List for our lives we are going to create a living, breathing, wholehearted 10-year vision that is all about "BEING". 

 

I would love you to carve out some time in your holiday for this important big-picture visioning work that I know will be profound. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE EXERCISES and work through them as you read this article. Block out an uninterrupted chunk of time to relax, have a warm cider, sit in your favourite armchair and really reconnect with what is important in your life. 

 

Part 1 

MY 10-YEAR BIG, BEAUTIFUL H.A.I.R.Y VISION 

Close your eyes and imagine. If anything were possible, what is in your 10--year picture? What is your most compelling, colourful vision of your life? What do you see in December 2022?  Dream about all parts of your life - your health, your relationships, your family, your work, your home.

Make sure your vision elements are H.A.I.R.Y (Heartfelt - tapped into your emotions; Aligned - with your core values; Irresistible - passionate and powerful; Rockin'- pushing the limits and Yours - make sure it is your vision, not someone elses!)

playing bigtreesUse the worksheet to write down your vision elements in the present tense as if they are real right now. Write down phrases, words, colours, adjectives, thoughts, feelings. They could be as abstract as " I am at peace, floating, calm" or as specific as "I am standing in front of a room bursting at the seams, onstage and seeing everyone clapping for me as I finish my speech". Perhaps you see a building, or a place (I am sitting in an Adirondack chair by a lake reading your favourite novel with the waves lapping on the shore) or perhaps you see a bookshelf with a slew of books with your name on them. Perhaps you are on an African safari...or are climbing Macchu Picchu.

This is a stream of consciousness riff. No editing. No blocking. Just a spew. Be bold, be big as you create and write down that HAIRY VISION on your worksheet.  If it feels awkward or impossible even writing or thinking those thoughts - good - that probably means you are thinking big enough. The bigger the dream, the bigger the self-doubt.  Stretch yourself. Connect with your emotions. Get out of your safety zone. Dream wildly.

 

 Part 2   MY MOST H.A.I.RY ELEMENTS

We use the Acronym of H.A.I.R.Y to really get at the Why behind those pictures (Remember: Heartfelt,Aligned,Irresistible,Rockin',Yours.)

 

Now take a highlighter or pen and underline or highlight the images or elements in your 10-year vision that are the HAIRIEST, those that jump out at you, those which feel the most compelling. Think from your heart and gut for this exercise. Transfer those to the circles in the Part 2 Handout. Add more circles if you wish!  Be sure to print this page out and put in a place where you can see and review it daily.

  

Part 3  IDENTIFY WHAT YOU ARE FEELING

Now use the worksheet to identify what you are FEELING as you live into your BIG H.A.I.R.Y 10-year vision. IMPORTANT: It doesn't matter yet HOW you will get there, or WHAT exactly "it" is, only how you feel as you are actually living that Big Picture vision.  Connect with your emotions and write down on the worksheet how you are feeling as you are living into that 10 year vision in each area of your life.

Eg/

Work and Career   I feel energized when I get up in the morning. I feel a lot of satisfaction and joy because I am contributing wholly. I feel confident and proud of my work.

 

And then, for even more rocket-fuel - add adjective descriptors to your statements.

Eg/

I feel totally energized when I get up in the morning. I feel intense satisfaction and overwhelming joy because I am contributing wholly. I feel rock-solid confident and bursting with pride about my work.

  

SUMMARY:  

1/ Don't bother making New Year's Resolutions

2/ Instead, get clear on your big picture 10-year vision

3/ Make that vision H.A.I.R.Y

4/ Connect with what feels most compelling about that vision

5/ Put your thoughts down in writing and then print them out

6/ Read your 10-year H.A.I.R.Y vision every day this year and begin to really own it

 

Next Month's Feature Article:  Living into your Vision   

Lightbulb of the Month

blue lightbulb 

"One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree. "Which road do I take?" she asked. "Where do you want to go?" was his response. "I don't know," Alice answered. "Then," said the cat, "it doesn't matter.""

-- Lewis Carroll, author

Are you ready to get HAIRY with Jan?  8 spots available!

Hairy OrangutanIf you are ready to approach your year in a way that really rocks, then it's time for a Jan Jam. A Jan Jam is a 2 hour H.A.I.R.Y Coaching Session where you will dream big, open possibilities, define what feels HAIRIEST for you and create a compelling vision for your life with the support and inspiration of your Possibility Coach, Jan Carley.  Your Jan Jam open you up to your Big Picture Vision and then set your dreams in motion in an aligned, connected & personally compelling way. 

Jan Jam Super Jan(uary) Special: $197

Hurry! There is only room in my January schedule for 8 HAIRY Jan Jam Coaching Session and they will go quickly.

Click the PayPal button to pay now and reserve your space.    Pay Now 

 3rd edition of Harmony from the Inside Out comes with
Bonus 50-page Action Guide
*Order before Dec. 12 for pre-Christmas delivery* 

3rd edition of Jan's book

Jan Carley's book, Harmony from the Inside Out,  a hit with singers and non-singers alike, is now on sale in it's 3rd revised edition. This 3rd edition comes with a Bonus 50-page Action Guide which has new material and exercises, as well as a reprinting of many of the exercises in the book in a convenient full-page format.  If you purchased an earlier version of the book, or purchased it in Kindle format, you may download this Free Bonus Supplement by clicking here.

  
5* Amazon Reviews:
"a thought-provoking, sensitive glimpse into the person we can be and want to be. Great book - worth reading over and over."
"a wonderful book, lots of positive motivational aspects that relate to all aspects of life, not just singing harmony!"
  
PURCHASE BEFORE DEC. 12 TO ENSURE PRE-CHRISTMAS DELIVERY IN NORTH AMERICA.  CLICK HERE TO ORDER. 
About Jan Carley

Jan Carley is a Professional Certified Executive Coach credentialed with the International Coach Federation. She is passionate about inspiring highly-motivated individuals and high-achieving teams to realize their signature brilliance and focus their energies to achieve a leading edge of excellence.  Jan combines creativity and positive, action-based possibility thinking to support and guide this transformative change through her signature harmony from the inside out coaching approach. Jan lives in Vancouver, B.C., Canada, and is available for individual and team coaching, workshops, and speaking engagements worldwide. ICF logo

Contact Jan at 604 873-1763  email: jan@creativecoachinggroup.com

    

 

 
Quick Links
Jan's Coaching Company Creative Coaching Group
Jan's work with BarbershoppersInner Coach of Barbershop
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