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If you enjoy reading this week's Personal Growth Gab, please be sure to share it with your friends and followers using the social media icons at the top of this email or via Facebook!
 And as always, feel free to contact me with any questions or comments, and scroll down for info about my coaching services and featured appearances and articles.
 
NEXT WEEK! GROUP COACHING: Tuesday Talk, January 14th 6:30pm-8:30pm Click here for more info and RSVP here.  *Please note if you would like to receive separate reminder emails(click here for sample) about this meeting and other special events, scroll to the bottom of this email, click on the Update Profile/Email Address link and be sure the "Thursdays at Three/Tuesday Talk" list is checked off. 
SPECIAL NEW YEAR OFFER!
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Reality Bites
by Kristina Leonardi

   

2014Truth is a deep kindness that teaches us to be content in our everyday life and share with the people the same happiness. ~ Khalil Gibran 

 

If you look for truth, you may get comfort in the end; if you look for comfort you will not get truth only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin, and in the end, despair. ~ C.S. Lewis

   

Whew!  We started this year off with a blast - a blistery one that is! Now that the holiday dust has settled, the cold hard reality (pun intended) of your life as it is at this moment comes more clearly into focus.  If you have to dig yourself out or are stuck indoors for a few days this is a great opportunity to take advantage of some down time to ponder how you want 2014 and beyond to look and feel. 

 

New Year's always stirs up thoughts about what we want to change in our lives, but that means you need to have a good idea of what needs to change in the first place - and like the famous prayer says, have the serenity to accept the things you cannot change, the courage to change the things you can, and the wisdom to know the difference.  

 

Getting to that accurate perception is the first step, and might actually be more important than making the change; therefore perhaps our work this year is to 'snap out of it' and instead see ourselves, situations and people as they really are, not how we'd like them to be.  Then, and only then, can real change begin.   

 

Humans, especially 21st century versions, want what we want when we want it; our media and technology only makes this worse, fueling our impulses and imagination with its magnified distortion of time, place and interaction; it enables us to more easily delude ourselves in thinking our situation is one way, when it is in fact another; when we think a job, our health, or relationships are positive when it's not, or, vice versa.  It distracts us and makes us forget that anything lasting is a process and requires massive amounts of reflection, patience and perseverance.   

As the saying goes, 'know the truth and the truth shall set you free'.  It's not always fun getting there, and letting go of lifelong dreams and illusions and accepting ourselves, people and circumstances as they are, relinquishing any hope that they are or will become what you wish them to be, can be extremely painful and in fact feel like a death which you need to grieve.  

 

But the good news is that knowing and accepting the truth affords us a more profound, productive and meaningful life experience when we know what is real. When we live from that place we can then make better decisions about addressing any situation, how to improve it or let it go - the more accurate the assessment, the more effective the solution can be. 

 

Because of my talent for connecting the dots, cutting through the 'crap' and getting to the root of things quickly and directly, my clients might not like what I have to tell them at first - yet they always come back to me days, weeks or years later and admit it was not necessarily what they wanted to hear, but ultimately exactly what they needed at the time. (...And saved them thousands of dollars in therapy!)  

 

The truth can be overwhelming but once acknowledged means you can really start to move forward. So before you seriously embark any resolutions, begin there. It's strong medicine to start the year off, but essential if you want to get healthy in any area of your life.

   

Feeling like A Change is Gonna Come, but not sure how to make it happen? Give me a buzz and I'll be the doctor with the diagnosis and that spoon full of sugar to make the medicine go down! <3

 

This and all past posts can be found on my website www.kristinaleonardi.com
 
  
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About Kristina's Coaching
Work with her one-on-one or as part of a group

 

Kristina Leonardi is a career/life coach who has a proven record of getting "stuck" clients empowered to make changes aligned with their true passions and talents in a short time. She provides a practical framework for each individual to make the most of their personal and professional lives, allowing them to recognize, connect to, and fulfill their role in the world at large and live a life with clarity, balance and direction.   

 

Kristina's holistic, gimmick-free, and minimalist approach has earned her widely diverse and fiercely loyal following from all walks and stations of life, including savvy New Yorkers who have tried other coaches, approaches, and therapy with little or limited results.  Click here to learn more 

  

             * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *    

She has a laid-back approach, but don't let that fool anyone. Her ability to read people is amazing and her assessments of how a person can enrich their lives/careers are spot-on. After she asked me lots of questions, she was somehow able to give me an assessment that was frighteningly accurate and illuminating.    

 

What's it like working with Kristina? Click here for more info 

  

For more information visit www.kristinaleonardi.com or contact her to schedule a session today.

 
KML Speaking
About Kristina's Speaking
Attend an event or hire her to speak at y0ur company or  organization!

Known as a dynamic, 'inspiring' and 'down-to-earth' speaker with unique yet practical perspectives on career development, work/life wellness, and employee engagement, Kristina has been a featured speaker for many corporate seminars, non-profit organizations and conferences, including: UBS, Saatchi & Saatchi, HR Association of NY, Ogilvy & Mather, American Business Women's Association, the Junior League, NYU and the New York's Science, Business & Industry Library.
Click here for more info
Contact Kristina for full bio and a list of topics

UPCOMING EVENTS:
Saturday, January 18th, 2014 at NYU
Finding a Career that Makes You Energized, Happier and Healthier
Click here for more info and to register

Thursday, January 30th at SIBL
Who Are You & What Are You Supposed to Be Doing with Your Life?

  

About Personal Growth Gab
Kristina Leonardi's Weekly eNewsletter

Since launching Personal Growth Gab (PGG) in January 2010, Kristina has formed an avid and faithful following ("they're the only emails I read" "they really help me" "they help me start my week" "I save them until I get home and can read them with a cup of tea" "you're such a good writer!" ) of over 1500 who look forward to a 'weekly dose of thought-provoking, inspirational and entertaining helpful tidbits to keep you connected with yourself and make sense of this journey called life.


All past PGG posts can be found on the home page at www.kristinaleonardi.com


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HOT OFF THE PRESSES! 

 I've recently been featured in a few places:

 45 Pieces of Career Advice That Will Get You to The Top (The Daily Muse) 

(I'm #3 just before Marissa Mayer #4 and Jane Fonda #7, Mark Cuban #42, Steve Jobs #44)

The Ins and Outs of Casual Days at Work (CareerIntelligence.com)

Wherever You Go, There You Are (VidaVibrante.com)

A Body at Rest (Inspire Virtual Mag S.A.) 

 A More Perfect Union (Inspire Virtual Mag S.A.) 

Tiptoe Through the Tulips (Inspire Virtual Mag S.A)

 Scroll down for more articles written by or about me and be sure to tweet and share them all! :)

Kristina's Media Mix
Articles and videos by,  about or featuring Kristina Leonardi
What I Learned Working with a Career Coach
From Passion to Profit Career Transition Support Group - Episode 1
From Passion to Profit Career Transition Support Group
Daily Muse
6 Things You Can Get from a Not-Quite Dream Job (Besides the Paycheck)

NYPL SIBL video
Pink Slips: How Losing Your Job is a Good Thing (Video)
Huffington Post article
5 Simple Steps for Finding Your Life's Purpose.

MORE ARTICLES BELOW:
InspireMag
  
Check out my articles in the July/August 2013 edition of Inspire Virtual Mag (Pages 16-17, 18-19, 32-33 and 52-53)
 
Check out three of my articles in the May/June 2013 Inspire Virtual Mag  from South Africa.  (Pages 24, 119 & 149 with contributor profile pg 16)
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You can also check out these interviews with me:

 

Contact
For more information visit www.kristinaleonardi.com

 You can also email me [email protected] or call 917-816-0834

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"Kristina gave me permission to be myself!  I can say no other person has empowered me in that way as much as she has - and I am TRULY forever grateful for that.."  - Cherise R.
"Kristina conveys really important practical ideas with such passion and in a really accessible way.  Thank you! - Andrea K.