|
"You must go after your wish. As soon as you start
to pursue a dream, your life wakes up and everything has meaning." * * * * * This newsletter is sent to you by Life Matters Coaching. Copyright © 2007, Benita Stafford-Smith and Life Matters Coaching. 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, March 2007 Week One: Richness Through Reading It has been a reflective time for me lately. One of the things I have been reflecting upon is richness. What is it? How does it show up for me? Richness through reading. I love reading – articles, magazines, poetry and books of all descriptions. I can spend hours and hours in bookstores. I always end up bringing a treasure or two home with me. There is so much variety and so many interesting stories and topics. One of my favorite ways of relaxing and restoring is through reading. When I am out on speaking tours and spending a lot of time on airplanes I take this opportunity to catch up on my reading, a lovely escape from the hectic travel schedule. What am I currently reading? Yes, richness abounds! It is so exciting! "An educated person who does not read is the same as an illiterate person." Anonymous. * * * * * Week Two: Richness through Gifts My reflections on richness. What is it? How does it show up
for me? I am very blessed with richness in my life. Every day I try to be aware of the gifts I have received that day and every day there are am amazing list of gifts to be grateful for. An Unexpected Gift Recently it was very very cold in Winnipeg. No, the extreme cold was not the gift but was the setting for this gift. On one of these -40C degree days I was walking down the street. As I approached a back lane, I saw an elderly man helping his elderly wife over the curb onto the sidewalk. It was bitterly cold and there was a thick layer of ice on the sidewalk, both this gentleman and his wife were having difficulty negotiating. I noticed they had left the walker behind in an effort to get over the curb. Without thinking I simply grabbed the walker and said “I’ll help you with that.” I brought the walker onto the sidewalk and asked if I could hold the door for them. They both smiled and entered the building. Once they were safely inside I turned to leave. The gentleman turned and said to me “You are an angel brought to us today.” What an amazing gift. Imagine the joy I felt at being called an angel. I was flying on cloud nine for several days after that. Sometimes the gifts come in unexpected ways and are so thrilling! "We make a living by what we get. But we make a life by what we give." Sir Winston Churchill * * * * * Week Three: Richness—A Gift from a Two-year Old Girl My reflections on richness. What is it? How does it show up for me? Richness – A Gift from a Two Year Old Girl December 2006 was a really tough month for me. My Mom passed December 16th after four painful months of bone cancer. December also brought an amazing gift. My niece (Nita) invited me to come along for the picture with Santa adventure with her two year old daughter (Morgan). I agreed to meet them at the mall for the picture with Santa and then we would go for dinner. I was lucky enough to receive two gifts from this adventure. I opened the door to the mall and started the visual search for my niece and her daughter. Suddenly I hear a very tiny but quite loud voice “Aunty Benita, Santa’s here, Santa’s here” as my two year old grand niece came running to meet me with arms open, a smile as wide as her face and her eyes dancing with delight. She was so excited! Once she got to Santa’s lap for pictures, Morgan sat like a little princess looking up at Santa in a state of amazement. After the pictures were done we went for dinner. Now normally little Morgan doesn’t pay me that much attention as she is pretty busy with all the activity around her. But that day I got a special treat. At dinner Morgan sat beside me, she kept hugging me and at one point during the meal she decided to take a short rest and laid her head on my lap for a little quiet time. I believe young children intuitively know when we need some love. "It is not the length of life, but the depth of life." - Ralph Waldo Emerson Yes, richness abounds! * * * * * Week Four: Richness through Family Stories. "In every community, there is work to be done. In every
nation, there are wounds to heal. In every heart, there is the
power to do it." I am blessed with a family of storytellers. All my life, stories have been a way of understanding the past, of learning compassion for others and of sharing life’s triumphs and pitfalls. Stories connect us at a very basic level. They bring characters and events to life, weaving mundane facts with intricate intimacy - engaging, entertaining and educating. And thankfully the stories I have been delighted with all my life have been told with that priceless gift, humour. Companies have stories, cultures have stories and nations have stories. The stories we share in our lives and in our work provide a framework for us to see our world. What are your stories? How do they influence your life? Your work? Your relationships? Your success? The Story of My Name, "Stafford-Smith" When I finally decided to change back to my maiden name, fifteen
years after my divorce, it was difficult to decide on what name
I would use. My mother was a Smith before she married my father
who was also a Smith. In fact my Mom and my aunt, both Smiths,
married my Dad and my uncle, both Smiths—two sisters married
two brothers. So when it came time to change my name I wanted
to honor both my Mom and my Dad. To my delight I discovered another interesting family story. All of my Dad’s family had unusual middle names. When my Grandmother came from England to Manitoba, she lived in St. Francis, Manitoba. On Sundays, she taught a boys’ Sunday school class. One Sunday all the boys in her class went out on a boat ride on Lake Manitoba. There was an accident and every one of the boys died in the accident. My Grandmother gave each of her sons the last name of one of the boys who died in the accident. So Stafford-Smith was the perfect choice! |
