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"Your chances of success in any undertaking can always
be measured by your belief in yourself." * * * * * This newsletter is sent to you by CoachBenita.. Copyright © 2008, Benita Stafford-Smith and CoachBenita. All rights reserved. Nothing in this newsletter may be reproduced or published without the written permission of the individual author and/or copyright owner. |
The Coach Approach, January 2008 Week One: Happy New Year!!
Wishing you and your loved ones a prosperous and joyful 2008! * * * * * Week Two: My Theme for 2008 Every year I set a theme for the upcoming year. This year I had a bit of difficulty setting my theme. I jostled back and forth with several ideas. Creativity kept popping up as did relaxation. How could these two seemingly opposing ideas be my theme? After much contemplation I realized that I find creative activities very relaxing. Writing is a great example. When I am fully engaged in writing the rest of my world slips away. Relaxation came out on top and I am really looking forward to 2008. I am hoping each of you has some fun setting your theme for the year! "Every once in a while you have to give yourself a
chance to stop, to empty out. Taking time off allows you space
to let the big ideas in." * * * * * Week Three: The Year to Marry Meaning and Matter “We ache to touch intimately what is real, to find the marriage of meaning and matter in our lives and in the world. We ache to feel and express the fire of being fully alive.” —Oriah Mountain Dreamer This quote intrigued me from the moment I read it. I have spent several weeks just letting this idea roll around in my head, simmering away - marriage of meaning and matter. Firstly, the word marriage evokes thoughts of making a long term commitment and secondly it evokes images of a union. A union of two separate concepts coming together to form a strong unified entity, something new being created. The word creation literally jumps out at me when contemplating marrying meaning and matter. I think of matter as this physical world and its contents, and meaning as my inner worlds of emotion and spirituality. Does the outside match the inside? If so, there is the experience of joy and peace. If not, if my inner worlds and outer worlds are in conflict, there is strife, stress and unrest. What does your world like when you marry meaning and matter? I would love to hear from you. * * * * * Week Four: Big Questions Last week I explored marrying meaning and matter. This week I have been reading “A Brief History of Time, from the Big Bang to Black Holes” by Stephen W. Hawking.More big questions have presented themselves to me. In Chapter One Stephen Hawking asks these questions:
I call these provocative questions! As a Coach, I am thrilled with provocative questions. Provocative questions move us forward in new ways and invite us to explore our existing frameworks. What provocative questions do you carry with you? I would love to hear your provocative questions. * * * * * Week Five: The Fire of Being Fully Alive! What is the fire of being fully alive? How do you keep your “fire of being fully alive” going? For me this is a combination of two things, adventure and relaxation. Adventure is the spark that starts the fire and relaxation is the fuel the keeps it burning. Both are necessary and of equal importance. One without the other leads to burn out and despair. Earlier I introduced the marriage of meaning and matter from Oriah Mountain Dream. Adventure and relaxation are the makings of a solid marriage. What is your spark? What is your fuel? Is the marriage a good one or is it on shaky ground? Does the marriage invite you to new creation? * * * * * Want to get published? Share your stories? Please email me at stories@coachbenita.com and I will publish your stories! |
