Bring your best self to light - November 2008
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If this has been forwarded to you from someone else, you can sign up at www.annewalshcoach.com. You get a free 10 part e-course called Personal Freedom when you do...you can also download two consciousness shifting recordings...
Less is more, simplicity is everything and what's your perfect life?
Recently, I've been going back to reading some of Thomas Leonard's work around "A Perfect Life". The first thing to say is that Perfect in this context means "exactly fitting the need in a certain situation" rather than the narrow restrictive perfectionist definition. He suggests that we identify 25 elements and when I sat down to think about them, some of mine were quite mundane: hot water every day, a smooth running computer, regular exercise and time in Nature and very doable. Why did I choose them? Because they are things that perfectly enhance and support my life. There are other things that I haven't achieved yet but an interesting aspect of identifying them was (a) identifying what IS working well and then (b) getting clear about what I would like instead of focussing on what I don't like.
I've also discovered that a big thing for me was having things organised and running smoothly. I think the genius of Thomas Leonard was his emphasis on the reality of your life as a barometer on how well you are really doing. He had two great assessments (Clean Sweep and Extreme self care - both of these are available on my website at Free Resources) that you could use to assess how your life is working on a practical level...for example one of the questions is around having your bed made every day!). Simplicity is a really powerful way to make your life simpler and clearer. Here are some ideas around simplifying..
- Begin to run all your purchases through the filter of will this really benefit and enhance my life...You'll be surprised by the number of them that don't!
- Consider what is REALLY important to you..for most people that's family and self-care. Now, review your current commitments and see how they are contributing to that.
- Ask yourself how you can unhook yourself from other's expectations. A powerful way to do this is to define success for yourself (to quote a well known Irish bank's advertising slogan..."whatever success means to you..." Identify 3 ways in which you know you are being successful. When I did this exercise what came up for me was how much happiness I felt on a day to day basis IRRESPECTIVE of what my external circumstances were or what other people thought..You know they are the right ones for you when you have a feeling of pieces fitting...
- Really focus on listening to yourself and what makes you feel strong, positive and expanded and those situations/people that leave you feeling squashed and small. Just begin to notice...
- Ask yourself what you can let go of. And when that voice comes up saying..but what if..and maybe I haven't given it enough time. Why not just allow yourself to imagine that you have given up this particular activity etc and see how that feels...Let your inner compass be your guide.
- When it comes to choosing things..begin to make NO your default position..unless something really fits you..choose not to do it..at least for now.
Take Action!
- Take the time to identify what really enhance your quality of life...and then brainstorm ways to bring that into your life
- Identify 3 activities/relationships/situations you want to be at peace about and identify ways to let them go.
- Put a marker on your phone/computer as a reminder to yourself to check in with how you are feeling...become your own meteorologist!
- Define success for yourself...
Now What coaching? - is it time to re-invent yourself?
This 12 week programme (can be done over 6 months) is designed specifically for people who are at a crossroads and who have no idea what to do next. A lot of companies are letting people go or not hiring or asking for voluntary redundancies. If you are one of those people, this may be the "perfect" (as in the sense above!) time to step back and re-consider what and who you are at this point in your life. Why not consider taking a "good enough" job for the next 6-12 months and use this time to really identify a life/career direction that truly fits WHO you are...the Now What programme is perfect for that..You can read full details at: http://www.annewalshcoach.com/now-what-coaching.html
Week 4- Life story time
I thought for fun...that over the next 12 months I would outline the steps in the Now What process...and you can even play with it yourself if you choose..In Week 1...the focus was on getting clear about what you HATE about your current situation...In Week 2, "With every gain there is a loss". This is about saying goodbye to your current situation and identifying what you can take with you e.g. skills, life lessons. It's what Laura calls "Mourn the package". She also suggests that you design your ideal day (why not have a go at that and see what elements you can incorporate this week!)
In Week 3, the programme takes a look at the beliefs that hold you back e.g. it takes money to make money, I'll always have to do work I hate..etc. There are some powerful exercises around surfacing the beliefs holding you back, looking at where they come from and identifying more productive ones e.g. "I can make a good living doing what I love " and don't forget consciousness shifting is a really powerful way to do this! Week 4 - the past holds the clues to the future is a powerful exercise in that it allows me to see YOUR life and usually to see threads/themes that you may have been oblivious to, often the seeds of your "life blueprint" can be seen weaving and appearing at various times during your life...and this can offer powerful insights into who you are.. Curious? Read about the full programme at: http://www.annewalshcoach.com/now-what-coaching.html
Have fun!
Consciousness shifting
A group of us have just embarked on a new licensing programme with Karen Vizer to deliver some of the courses she has developed. It's a 6 month programme and I'm excited to be on the journey. Karen will be running another "ReInvention/Raise your vibration" teleclass series starting later this month.
I truly believe this is wonderful transformational work that has a speed and
elegance to help people get in touch with their best self, beyond the excuses,
stories and bad habits. I'll be honest, there are still areas of my life that
are not quite how I would like them to be...but I see them as areas where I can
practise these skills and learning and really let the rubber hit the road. And
my underlying feeling is one of peace, calm and happiness...
Here is a more recent testimonial:
I approached the session not really knowing what to expect, but with a great desire to clear what felt like blockages in my thinking about building my own business and trusting in myself to be able to pursue my dreams and ideas in this area. I had spent a long time attempting to 'fight' these blockages with logic, but they continually crept back and I was beginning to see them as being true. I was also getting caught up in a fear of success as well as a fear of failure with an added touch of 'not being clever enough' thrown in. Having had a failed business and a few false starts at new businesses, these negative beliefs and fears were really deep set.
The session with Anne was relaxed and a huge eye-opener. Anne got to the bottom of the issues quickly and smoothly and I was surprised to see where had really come from as one area especially I had no idea was linked, but up it came.
Anne then took me through releasing the negativity and emotions that I had attached myself to for so long without even realising I had. This process was so simple that at the time I didn't really even realise exactly what was happening but afterwards I felt as though a weight had been lifted.
The next day, I woke up feeling completely free and relaxed, with none of the old worries crowding in. I really do now feel that 'it's safe to be me'. In addition to that as time has gone on the effects have gotten stronger and it feels as though other things that were obviously off shoots of the original emotions and energy have also disappeared.
Susan Savery SSavery@lcsp.co.uk
There are now recordings of the work available at
http://www.annewalshcoach.com/consciousness-shifting.html
You can download them and use them over and over again. In one session, we work with a person's poverty consciousness and in the other we help clear another's fear of making sales.
As a community, we are now on Facebook so if you would like to join us and get to learn more and (at the very least!) get to meet some really interesting people...navigate over to www.decidetobreakfree.com and join us...
Click here to book a consciousness shifting session (at the moment there are still slots left on 17th November..check them out before they go soon!)
Stars under the Cobblestones - multi-cultural skills for teachers and trainers. (www.unec.eu.com )
This course is ideal for people who find themselves working as teachers/trainers in a multicultural environment and want to learn quickly how to work more effectively in that environment. You will leave the course with a toolbox of exercises which you can implement immediately and clear steps on how you can work more effectively with multi-cultural groups. You will also gain exposure to one of Europe's lesser known languages!
If you wish to attend this course and avail of grant funding, apply to your local national agency before 7th January 2009. Also, please register at the website: (www.unec.eu.com) In Ireland, this is www.leargas.ie Dates have not been set yet for 2009 but if you are interested, you can register your interest here..
Recommended - what I'm reading/watching
Movie: Burn after reading (or "I should have burnt this before watching it") : I don't get the Coen Brothers. Yes, I know the critics love them...but Barton Fink ranked as one of the most unpleasant viewing experiences I've had in a long time and their new movie has not changed my views. If you can imagine a bunch of the most obnoxious, nasty, boring characters thrown together with a story line that felt like it was done in 5 minutes after a hangover...that's this heap of crap. And no, I don't like it.
Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsch I've been getting NDW's daily e-mails and found myself re-reading this material...the first book is a man asking God all the questions about why his life wasn't working and experiencing God (or whatever name you prefer) dialoguing with him...what's intriguing is that it's gutsy, honest and NDW admits himself that he wasn't the most obvious candidate. Thought provoking...
Dynamic Arthouse: One of the things that I've noticed in myself over the last year is a greater love and desire for beauty in my life. I know Lisa through some courses we've attended together but I recently got a chance to look at her work online. She has some beautiful prints that would make a terrific gift (and yes, she ships to Ireland!) . Her website is: www.dynamicarthouse.com and if you order anything, please let her know where you heard about her. (and no, I don't get any commission!)