Perception (your own!) is everything!

Hello Everyone!  It’s been quite sometime since I have written but I am now back in the swing of things.  My new newsletter format is a big hit!  Instead of writing about what I think is interesting I have asked subscribers, clients and friends to write in with their questions.  Some will make it to the newsletter and some will be a subject of my blog.  Today’s letter is a subject that I have encountered with many people.  
After reading today’s entry take the time to really appreciate someone in your life that works real hard in a thankless job!!   If you have a question that you would like ask just email it to sagelifecoaching@telus.net.

Dear Liane,
Everyday I feel like crap going to work.  I hate my job but I can’t do anything about it.  I work as a janitor at a school.  I feel like I’m wasting my life pushing a mop!  There is no way I can quit; this job supports my wife and two kids. It provides a decent wage and benefits but the hours are at night so I never see my family.  My back is killing me from all of the heavy lifting and the minutes tick by like days.   I feel trapped.  
Signed forever-a-janitor.

Dear Trapped,
I sympathize with your situation.  Going to work everyday to a physically demanding job that has little mental stimulation can lead to a feeling of trapped. What is required here is a shift of perspective.  You are right, you cannot change your situation immediately but what you can change is how you look at your current situation.
For starters, a change in perspective can offer some relief to your feelings of being trapped.  Have you considered the fact that your mundane employment is really an honourable profession to house, clothe and provide for your family?
At the moment you are in a very unique group.  You are a dedicated, loving and honourable father and husband who is willing to do mundane, boring and difficult work in order to fulfill your duties as man, father and husband. You sacrifice your body and your mental stimulation but more importantly you sacrifice your time with your family. That kind of sacrifice often goes unacknowledged and unappreciated.  In the short term, allow pride and acknowledgement to carry you to and throughout your workday.  Spend time reflecting on exactly what your sacrifices are and be very clear that those sacrifices are what heroes are made of.  Your family has a true leader at the helm and you need to use that as way to transform your boredom, disdain and trapped feelings for your job into self respect and pride.  A great man pushes that mop everyday and he needs to be acknowledged.
The second part of this is to make a true effort to make a future change in career.  Make your career change plan part of your family’s plan.  Your unhappiness and unfulfillment are NOT acceptable and you and your family must make this a priority. Contact career advisors and investigate what you would like to do for a career. If you have doubts that this change is possible, that is your fear getting the best of you. If you want a change in career it will depend on how well you plan for it.  If that school that you work at closed tomorrow you would be forced to find new employment.  A change in career is possible but the success of the outcome will be dependant on how well you plan.  Get advice. Seek help and ask for support.  Most importantly, support and acknowledge yourself.  Society benefits from your hard work and dedication to your family.  Hold your head high and be proud of yourself!

New newsletter!

Exciting News! I decided to change the format of my weekly coaching exercise newsletter because so many of the subscribers wrote in and asked for their own individual questions to be addressed.  I am writing a column that will feature questions I have received and the coaching answers I give!  If you would like to submit a question, send it to sagelifecoaching@telus.net.  It might be featured in my column or in this blog.  Each week I will include one of the letters in my blog for visitors to my web to view.  The entire column can be received by signing up on the home page of my website!  Today we had an unexpected dump of snow and the whole town has been shut down!  What a wonderful way to have to stay home!  Have a great day!
      

Its not too late!

January has come and gone and now we are into February.  What happened with your New Year’s resolutions?  Are you sticking to your plans for 2006?  Did you have high hopes of change and some how they got lost in your busy world?  Are you upset with yourself for not following through yet again?  
Feeling overwhelmed and out of touch with yourself? Want to make a change but don't know how to go about it? It might be time to hire a life coach.
Life Coaching is often associated with therapy but it is not therapy.  A therapist heals the wounds from the past, while a life coach takes your life
as is and moves forward.  Through a series of phone calls a client deals with their issue with an established goal in mind.  The coach offers support, motivation, and accountability.  Hiring a life coach is like hiring a tailor made parent or trusted friend except they are 100% in your corner and don’t have any attachments or vested interest in the outcome of your decisions.

Many times people fail at achieving their goals and dreams because they lack the committed, unbiased support they need to help them break old cycles and make new choices. A life coach is there to support, guide and encourage you to access your own wisdom, creativity and excellence.  Coaching is based on the concept that the keys to your success are within you.  Life coaches are trained to listen, support and observe and create solutions and strategies from the client.  A coach is not a consultant but more of a guide that shines a light on your own abilities and assets with goal of supporting while you make the changes necessary to fulfill your life.  Usually, a client will come with one particular problem but the skills they learn with the coach will apply to several (or all) areas of their life and they find a newfound confidence in all areas of their life.

What kinds of things do you hire a life coach for?
The answer is quite simple, ask yourself the following questions:

• What do I want more of in my life?


• What do I want less of in my life?


• What do I want to change about my life?

These questions seem vague but these questions are the seeds of the process.  It all starts with what the client wants.  The process is all about the client’s choices and the result is the client’s success.  Many people will come up with the answers quite quickly but they just as quickly discount the possibility that they could actually change.  If that is you, you are the perfect client.  The lack of belief is what you hire the coach for, and when you gain that belief in yourself is when you no longer need the coach.

So how do you want your March go?  It is not too late, pick your goal and BEGIN!  

Purpose and Passion

Sage Life Coaching
1-888-887-7718

Purpose and Passion

What exactly is purpose and passion? Some people seem to have a single mindedness towards their life and their work, while others spend their lives trying to identify their purpose and access their passion.

Passion and purpose are interconnected as well as being integral components of happiness. Having a purpose allows us to express our passion, and if we are passionate, purpose comes alive through our interactions with others. Without them we are disconnected, lost and our lives can feel meaningless. Picture a car. You need fuel to go anywhere (passion) and you need a key to start the motor (purpose). You are in the driver’s seat and you can either use these tools constructively or destructively. It is up to you.

Look at your own life. Do you have passion? Do you have enough fuel to change your life? Do you know your purpose? When people say they want more passion in their life they need to identify their purpose. When people lament that they have lost their purpose they are really looking to recapture their passion.

Let’s look at the two most common areas people want to change for the better; love and career. I wonder how many relationships and careers could be saved if each of us took responsibility for the passion in our lives? Is the grass really greener on the either side of the fence? Is there more passion somewhere else or is it right in front of you waiting to be discovered?

Do you wish for more passion in your life? Answer the following questions and see if you can add more passion and purpose to your life without changing anything but your perspective.

1. How does passion show up in your life right now?


2. How would it feel to have more passion in your life?

Start small but spend the day finding some passion and let soak it in.
It will make a difference!


Here’s a thought for today.
“Who we are never changes.
Who we think we are….does.”

Enjoy finding some passion!
Liane

Goodbye September
I recently discovered that I sometimes cringe at the future. I wasn't aware that I feared what was around the corner but it came out in a great journal writing event! As I discussed this with people I found that many people hadn't realized that they weren't exactly jumping up and down with great expectation regarding the future. It's time to practice that!

1. Make plans this weekend to welcome October. Find something that doesn't take a ton of energy to celebrate all that October stands for. Here are some suggestions:
Check out a local farm for a pumpkin patch and plan to select the perfect pumpkin for the greatest jack-o-latern. Maybe even make a family contest about it!

2. Think about all the things that autumn brings and create a seasonal table centre. You don't have to be Martha Stewart. This table centre can reflect things that are important to you or your family. Ask you kids to contribute and see what they come up with.

3. Make some mulled apple cider or wine. Ever season I see that stuff and always wait until christmas eve to make a batch. Pick a real cold day and add some zing to some apple juice. You can buy the seasoning for apple cider/wine at a very reasonable price. The smell alone is worth it.

Whatever you do, embrace it. Look forward. Wonderful things are coming.

Hello October.

Liane Fitzpatrick

www.SageLifeCoaching.com
Support for people who want to change their lives.
1-888-887-7718

Count your blessings.

Many times our days can be so difficult it seems impossible to find something to be grateful about.  Spend some part of this weekend finding the hidden blessing in your life.  Keep it simple and personal.  Don’t go grandiose or global.  This exercise is to benefit you and therefore it has to be about you.  If you think your life is truly miserable then you have the blessing of finding how strong you really are.  Perhaps there isn’t enough distance between your hardships to be able to look back and easily see blessings.  If you’re here on this earth that is indeed a blessing for all who encounter you.  Where are your blessings?  Counting our blessings and blessing our difficult lives will lead the way to a positive shift.  

Start today counting your blessings.  See if you can get to ten or even one hundred blessings.  Blessings happen so often but the rush of life leaves them unnoticed and unacknowledged.  Take the time out today to identify your blessings and if you want this exercise to really make a positive impact, write them down.  You don’t need to find a fancy pen or special journal, any piece of paper will do.  The magic is in the writing.  Recognizing these blessings, especially the ones among the difficulties and the angst. If you were the student in school that always looked for the extra challenging question, here it is: think of the 5 negative events in your life and find the hidden gifts or blessings in those events.

Counting your blessings is a win-win activity.  Celebrate the blessings you find and more will come you way.

Here is one of my many blessings from today.  This morning my dog, kept nagging me to pet him, I was too busy and he was a bit smelly.  He kept rushing at me every time I sat down and once spilled my coffee. I was furious.  He kept poking me with his nose insisting that I pay attention, I actually starting petting him just to avoid any other spillage.  As I petted, I relaxed and he was in heaven.  I wasn’t thinking about the many things I have to do today, or the disagreement I had with my child this morning or the bills or anything. My mind soon switched to how simple it was to please this devoted dog, how little he asked of me and how much he loved a good pat on the head.  Then I realized what a blessing he was and now I very grateful for him and the spilled coffee because had the coffee remained in the cup I might not have sat down and petted the dog.  From a little spilled coffee came 10 minutes of love and comfort.  What a blessing!