It's that time again - when we say goodbye to one year and ring in a new one. For me, the days between Christmas and January 1st are a time for pointed reflection and excited anticipation. I absolutely love a new year. Like the fresh page of a journal or a blank canvas on the easel, I'm full of hope and excited for the possibilities of what the new year will bring.
This holiday season was a time for celebration and happiness. Our family spent 14 days in paradise and loved our trip to the sunny Dominican Republic. We already miss the cheerful smiles and happy attitudes of our friends there. On December 23rd, we celebrated my 45th birthday (how did THAT happen?) for which I'm incredibly grateful - especially considering some serious health challenges in the recent past. I am blessed in so many ways and thank so many of you for making my birthday memorable.
Our holidays were amazing, but they were also marked with overwhelming sadness. My mother passed away suddenly of a heart attack early on the 24th. We were travelling home from our trip that day and didn't receive news of her death until later on that evening. Of course, the news was devastating, but not in the way that you might be thinking.
Many of you know that the relationship between my mother and I was terribly strained and has been tumultuous since my early teens. In fact, we haven't shared a relationship at all for more than a decade. I have no doubt that witnessing the challenges of my parents' marriage and struggling for decades with my own mother led me to value relationships so highly and coach people with theirs.
The differences between her and I will stay unresolved forever. To underscore a lesson Cancer taught our family years ago and because the passing of my mom just drove that lesson home one more time, the message of this letter is simply this:
The Time Is NOW.
Don't wait. Tell those you love and care for that you love them. Let those you have differences with know you'd like to resolve them and then do that. Every single day we are here is a blessing and may very well be our last. Tomorrow is not promissed. We have only today to make a difference.
Ask yourself, if not now, when?
If you have a dream for your life that has been growing inside your heart, your mind, your soul...don't wait. The time to do something to make it happen is right NOW. Now is the perfect time, actually - a new year is upon us. A fresh page or blank canvas upon which to create your masterpiece lay before you. The masterpiece is your life. Every day that passes is one more opportunity to move yourself closer to your goals and dreams.
Whatever this past year has been like for you, at the cusp of a New Year, it's the perfect time for
This holiday season was a time for celebration and happiness. Our family spent 14 days in paradise and loved our trip to the sunny Dominican Republic. We already miss the cheerful smiles and happy attitudes of our friends there. On December 23rd, we celebrated my 45th birthday (how did THAT happen?) for which I'm incredibly grateful - especially considering some serious health challenges in the recent past. I am blessed in so many ways and thank so many of you for making my birthday memorable.
Our holidays were amazing, but they were also marked with overwhelming sadness. My mother passed away suddenly of a heart attack early on the 24th. We were travelling home from our trip that day and didn't receive news of her death until later on that evening. Of course, the news was devastating, but not in the way that you might be thinking.
Many of you know that the relationship between my mother and I was terribly strained and has been tumultuous since my early teens. In fact, we haven't shared a relationship at all for more than a decade. I have no doubt that witnessing the challenges of my parents' marriage and struggling for decades with my own mother led me to value relationships so highly and coach people with theirs.
The differences between her and I will stay unresolved forever. To underscore a lesson Cancer taught our family years ago and because the passing of my mom just drove that lesson home one more time, the message of this letter is simply this:
The Time Is NOW.
Don't wait. Tell those you love and care for that you love them. Let those you have differences with know you'd like to resolve them and then do that. Every single day we are here is a blessing and may very well be our last. Tomorrow is not promissed. We have only today to make a difference.
Ask yourself, if not now, when?
If you have a dream for your life that has been growing inside your heart, your mind, your soul...don't wait. The time to do something to make it happen is right NOW. Now is the perfect time, actually - a new year is upon us. A fresh page or blank canvas upon which to create your masterpiece lay before you. The masterpiece is your life. Every day that passes is one more opportunity to move yourself closer to your goals and dreams.
Whatever this past year has been like for you, at the cusp of a New Year, it's the perfect time for
- Gratitude: there are so many blessings to be thankful for.
- Reflection: what were the wins and what were the challenges of the past year?
- New Beginnings: Oh...the places we'll go, the possibilities, the goals.
I get excited about those goals!
I absolutely love setting my resolutions each new year. Yeah, yeah, I know...it's been proven that most of us who do that give up on them within just twenty one days, but I say bah humbug to that! I still try every year and hope you'll join me this year too. If you haven't set resolutions in the past...make this year the first one for a new tradition.
Here is a trick that fellow coach, Pam Bruner teaches to help keep those resolutions.
This simple three-step ritual will inspire your entire year.
Step One: Pick A Word For Your Upcoming Year
Think about the new year that lies ahead and pick ONE WORD that comes to mind as the underlying, boiled down, pinpointed theme. Only one word though. Not two or three. Not a phrase. Just one word. It may come to you in meditation or prayer. It may pop into your mind while your reading or at the gym. Over the next few days, be mindful of the blank title at the top of that blank page or the bottom of that blank canvas. When it hits you, fill in that blank.
Whatever your word is, it'll become the focus of your growth over the upcoming year. Go out on a limb...pick a word that feels a little uncomfortable. You'll be in for an exciting ride for sure!
Step Two: Reflect.
Grab a pen and a sheet of paper, sit down in a quiet space and write out your goals. Try a new way of doing this. At the top of the page, start with "I am so happy and grateful that I..." and then write your goals. It might look something like this:
Here is a trick that fellow coach, Pam Bruner teaches to help keep those resolutions.
This simple three-step ritual will inspire your entire year.
Step One: Pick A Word For Your Upcoming Year
Think about the new year that lies ahead and pick ONE WORD that comes to mind as the underlying, boiled down, pinpointed theme. Only one word though. Not two or three. Not a phrase. Just one word. It may come to you in meditation or prayer. It may pop into your mind while your reading or at the gym. Over the next few days, be mindful of the blank title at the top of that blank page or the bottom of that blank canvas. When it hits you, fill in that blank.
Whatever your word is, it'll become the focus of your growth over the upcoming year. Go out on a limb...pick a word that feels a little uncomfortable. You'll be in for an exciting ride for sure!
Step Two: Reflect.
Grab a pen and a sheet of paper, sit down in a quiet space and write out your goals. Try a new way of doing this. At the top of the page, start with "I am so happy and grateful that I..." and then write your goals. It might look something like this:
- 'live in a house that I own and love' (for someone who may want to pay off the mortgage and do some renovating or redecorating)
- 'make $___/month in the business that I love' (for someone who wants to build their business or reach the next level of success)
- 'love my healthy and fit body' (for someone who wants to achieve a health goal)
- 'have incredible financial responsibility and love my debt-free life' (for someone who is trying to eliminate their consumer debt)
- 'love my partner and the life we're creating together' (for someone who is trying to find their soul-level love match or improve their marriage)
Step Three: Make A Focus Sheet & Frame It
Put the focus word and year at the top of a fresh new page. I like to write a bunch of goals for each year. Being diabetic and always struggling with weight issues, in addition to having come through breast cancer, being healthy is unfailingly at the top of my list each year. Improving relationships and building my business always makes the cut too.
Once you're finished writing out your intentions for the upcoming year. Find a beautiful frame for your list. After all, they are your goals and dreams, your heart's desire. They deserve to be framed and admired! Put the focus frame on your desk or dresser.
To increase your chances for success even further, add a copy to your bathroom mirror where you're sure to see those goals every morning. Read them. Memorize them. Understand what it will take to make them a reality. I can help with this if you'd like - take advantage of my offer for a free Resolution Realization session.
At the end of the year, you'll be amazed at how many of those goals you've achieved. Just writing them down increases our chances for success.
Put the focus word and year at the top of a fresh new page. I like to write a bunch of goals for each year. Being diabetic and always struggling with weight issues, in addition to having come through breast cancer, being healthy is unfailingly at the top of my list each year. Improving relationships and building my business always makes the cut too.
Once you're finished writing out your intentions for the upcoming year. Find a beautiful frame for your list. After all, they are your goals and dreams, your heart's desire. They deserve to be framed and admired! Put the focus frame on your desk or dresser.
To increase your chances for success even further, add a copy to your bathroom mirror where you're sure to see those goals every morning. Read them. Memorize them. Understand what it will take to make them a reality. I can help with this if you'd like - take advantage of my offer for a free Resolution Realization session.
At the end of the year, you'll be amazed at how many of those goals you've achieved. Just writing them down increases our chances for success.
I'd love to know what word comes to mind for you.
Visit me at www.facebook.com/barriecoachforlife and let me know what your focus word for 2016 is.
Better still, set up a Complimentary Resolution Realization Session with me at atandrea@coachforlife.ca and we'll put together a plan to reach your goals and make 2016 your Breakthrough Year. I can't wait to hear from you.
Visit me at www.facebook.com/barriecoachforlife and let me know what your focus word for 2016 is.
Better still, set up a Complimentary Resolution Realization Session with me at atandrea@coachforlife.ca and we'll put together a plan to reach your goals and make 2016 your Breakthrough Year. I can't wait to hear from you.
Andrea Raco, Certified Professional Coach, Founder of Coach for Life, Creator of 'Your Masterpiece Life' ~ a program designed to help you build the life you love, curator of Gold Key Club and Coach For Life Connections, Wife, Mom of 4, Breast Cancer Survivor and lover of LIFE.
Would you like to have a spotlight shone on your success story?
I'd love to help you craft and share your story so more people can hear from you.
Drop me a note: andrea@coachforlife.ca and we'll get started.
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