Roots and Wings

a newsletter for Mums Abroad
November 2014

Dear all,

I do apologise, but I've tempted you in under false pretences. I don't actually have any new news to share (apart from my third dramatic fall in as many months, with the bumps and bruises to prove it, oh and the fact that I keep sitting on my hot water bottle and thinking it's the cat!).

What I did want to share was my big WHY - as in what do I get out of Coaching as a career that I have stuck at it through thin and through thick these past 9 years. Check it out below!

In the meantime, you'll already know there are times when being a Mum Abroad has you responding simultaneously to your family needs both here and at a distance. Anyone else have parents who need a little or a lot more of your time and attention right now? Or perhaps you have children who already live in another country. Or close friends or relations who are going through some heart-wrenching experiences and you just want to BE THERE to deliver your hugs in person.

Those are the toughest times, when our capacities are tested to its very core. We cannot physically be in two places at once, much as we try to defy the rules of time and space. Equally, we cannot ignore how we really really want to, need to play our part. So we juggle, we make choices, and we compromise, we ask for help, call in back up, take a big deep breath and, somehow, make it work.

I am constantly reminded that there is something very special about a Mum Abroad when the going gets tough. And without naming names (they know who they are), when I see what challenges certain women handle, with compassion, strength, and organisational heroics, I realise that we are indeed an inspiring, courage and utterly invincible breed.

Please pause for a moment and think about what strength you have already drawn on during your journey as a Mum Abroad. You too have this courage, this capacity to inspire, this invincible spirit. You'll know when you need it. And remember that we are ALL here behind you, you just need to ask when you need to call in the backup team.

Wishing you a lovely crunchy kaleidescope end of Autumn,

Kirstin
www.alivetochange.com
www.facebook.com/alivetochange

You'll NEVER guess what I've just done!

You'd have thought I'd be used to it by now, but when my coaching clients (and workshop attendees, and even readers of Roots and Wings) send me emails like these, I STILL get goosebumps.

"I've just made THAT call"

Yep that really scary one that's been on my mind for weeks.

"I've just asked for it"

The pay rise. The support. That thing I really wanted.

"I've just said NO"

To the task but not the person, we're still friends.

"I've just started . . . "

Reading. Writing. Playing more. Swimming. Sitting still. Not sitting still. Speaking up. Slowing down.

"I've just worked out"

What I want. What I don't want. What I do. What I don't do. What I can do.

"I've just noticed . . . "

What I'm doing. How I'm responding. Where I'm tripping myself up. Where I help myself. What other people say. What I say.

"I've just tried . . . "

Something new. Something on. To say something in a different way.

"I've just discovered . . ."

I LOVE . . . I AM . . . I CAN . . .

It often surprises clients how much energy those "small" actions release. How suddenly there is a shift from inertia to motivation, from being stuck to being unstoppable.

I'm not surprised by that anymore, just that I still get goosebumps - and that's why I LOVE my job so much, even after all these years.

Thank you, dear reader, for all those delicious goosebumpy emails. Keep them coming.

What's the point of a Vision?

When I run team development workshops, we often talk about the vision of the team and where it is heading. It's key that the team has a common view on this, otherwise you can imagine what happens when everyone heads off in a different direction with a different focus.

Knowing where you want to go gives you the ability to make quicker decisions, focus your attention, marshall resources, garner effective support and take action in the right direction. It can inspire individuals and teams into doing things they may not have thought of otherwise.

For us as individuals, we need vision too. We need Vision when life is stable, and we need Vision more than ever when life is wobbly and uncertain. And often we are pretty clear what we want to bring into our future, what we want our life to be like.

But sometimes we're not clear. And we feel like we're going around in circles, with no sense of direction and no compelling way forward to channel our focus.

So here's an opportunity to do some work on your vision. Get it clearer. Give it some shape. Bring it to life.

Monday 24th November - Group Workshop - only ONE space left here now, so hurry if you'd like it! (Click on the date for more info)

If you missed out on this one, but are interested in the group workshop, I've reserved Thursday 15th January to run this. It will be 2 hours long, so please email me if you're interested and we can explore good timings for those who want to take part.

Alternatively, I've had some requests for private sessions on Vision. I can do this 1-1 - Any time by arrangement (please email me on kirstin@alivetochange.com for current pricing)

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