Treating Yourself with Abundance

Happy Self-Care Friday to all of you. I like to create an inspirational word each day that keeps me on track with my intentions throughout the day. Today my word was abundance. I, like many of you I'm sure, can have a tendency to get caught up from time to time in the "woe is me" regarding the economy. How can you not? I see examples of the economy's influence everywhere I look and with people I know. It can be so easy to start looking at my own financial picture and wondering how long I can hold out in "this economy". Feelings of lack and doubt do not help to build up self-esteem or bank accounts. We all know that what we focus on increases so the more I focus on what I don't have, guess what, that's what I have.

I decided I wanted to feel abundance in my life today in all areas. So I repeated the phrase I have abundance in my life. I have abundance in my life during my morning walk. I felt wealthy in many ways and life felt big. I kept repeating it throughout my day. Much evidence showed up that I do have an abundant life: I received in my mail today not only a fabulous letter from my son (not an email but an actual 2 page letter, bless his heart) and an unexpected check! Abundance. I noticed a tree in our yard was bursting with pink blossoms so I cut a few sprigs and placed them in a vase on my windowsill. Abundance.

This one word has made me feel more on purpose in my work today -- abundance in a very powerful coaching session with a client; abundance in my planning and writing activities for upcoming events. No place or room for lack today. If I had focused on what I don't have, I know an empty sad feeling would have followed me all day. That is not practicing self-care not self-neglect.

I find in working with people in a coaching relationship, so often they are focusing on what is not working. If we can open up the door just a little bit to experience the lightness of what IS working, their motivation starts to show up, they feel good about themselves and they can start to move forward.

I wish you all a weekend filled with abundance. Let me know how that shows up in your life.

Be Your Own Best Valentine

"You lie upon my heart as on a nest, folded in peace" —Amy Lowell

I've been thinking about being good to myself, loving myself, being my own best valentine. What would that look like? I know the times when I have been the most uncomfortable, felt unhappy, discontent, I was not truly being good to me. Do you notice that? I get myself in a "bad" mood, and believe me I recognize it is my choice, and then it snowballs. I don't feel like fixing myself good food, but rather making poor food choices or overeating. I hang out alone feeling sorry for myself and pathetic. Is this sounding familiar at all?

Next day I wake up ready to start anew and I think - today will be different, I will be good to me. It really is about that, being good to me. In that moment when I am feeling less than, feeling blah, that is when I need to let my nurturing side take over and take care of me. That is when I can take a little extra effort to do something nice for me which doesn't mean having chips and bean dip for dinner, but being gentle and kind, asking myself what would make me feel just a little bit better right now.

This month with Valentine's day coming up, I'm focusing on being good to me. I'd like to invite you to be good to you as well. Do what feels good. Do what you love. Is there something you have been putting off that you'd like to get handled so you can live a happy life? I'd like to invite you to experience the power of coaching. I'm looking for a few good coachees right now -- folks really ready to take the plunge and be coached, ready to take control of their lives and have more joy, more happiness, more of all that they love. I'd love to support you in that journey. By supporting you I support being good to me. Start by loving you and watch the love and happiness flow.