Create a Year You Love: What’s Waiting for You On the Other Side



“A person is the product of their dreams. So make sure to dream great dreams. And then try to live your dream.”

Maya Angelou

As we settle into the holidays and look forward to the New Year, It’s been such a pleasure to share some of my own end-of-year goal-setting processes along with a few of my favorite coaching tools.

In the midst of the busyness, I hope you’ve been able to take a moment for yourself, get intentional, reflect on the past year and envision what’s next. 

You can come back to these tools at any time.

First, I shared how evaluating brings awareness which is the most important first step.

Then you learned that focusing on the who makes a bigger impact than figuring out the how.

You have a downloadable worksheet that gives you a crystal clear snapshot of your life right now and what would make it amazing! This is the basis for the goals you create.

Yesterday, you created your gift goals and came up with a plan that focuses on self-love and support rather than willpower and self-discipline.

Today, I’m giving you one last gift. I recorded it this morning in the quiet of a sleeping house by the light of my Christmas tree. 

It’s one of my favorite visualizations that I use with new clients because it anchors you in the feeling of empowerment and possibility as you step toward your future.

Find a quiet, comfortable spot and see yourself there.



Visualization: The Other Side of the River


What do I want to leave you with over these five days?

That you can have a year you love, a life you love. 

Even in the midst of uncertainty and challenging times, the choices you make, how you relate to yourself and those around you, are what creates happiness and fulfillment.

In this season and always, I want that for you.

Happy Holidays and a Very Happy New Year.

With so much love,
Allison

Create a Year You Love: A New Way to Look at Your Goals


“Where we think we need more self-discipline, we usually need more self-love – not just selflove as an attitude, but self-love manifested through the routines and rituals that we set up to enable the changes we desire to happen naturally and with ease.” 

Tarah Mohr

Each day this week I’ve shared bits of my own end-of-year goal setting process along with a few of my favorite coaching tools.

On Monday, I shared how evaluating brings awareness which is the most important first step.

Then you learned that focusing on the who makes a bigger impact than figuring out the how.

Yesterday I offered you a downloadable worksheet that gives you a crystal clear snapshot of your life right now and what would make it amazing! This is the basis for the goals you create.

Today you’ll learn a new way of looking at your goals that doesn’t have anything to do with willpower or self-discipline.

Let’s do it!
 


GIFT GOALS

I need to be honest with you. I’ve struggled with the widely popular SMART goal technique. 

The rigidity took the joy out of goal-setting and so I just didn’t do it. I saw this with my clients too. 

Which is why I was so grateful to find a different, more heart-centered approach to goals in Tara Mohr’s book, Playing Big: Practical Wisdom for Women Who Want to Speak Up, Create and Lead

Tara says making and sustaining change has nothing to do with willpower and self-discipline (thank goodness!) and everything to do with a spirit of self-love and an abundance of support.

Doesn’t that sound great?! Give it a try!
 



What are your goals for 2023?
Look over your answers for the last three exercises (links above): the lessons you learned, what you want to do differently, the role you’ll focus on, and the big picture of your life – where you’re satisfied and where you desire more.Taking all of that into consideration, come up with 3 – 8 goals for the year.

Turn Your Should-Goals Into Gift-Goals
Should-goals are created by outside pressures, or what we think we “should” do. Gift-goals are an expression of what we truly desire. They feel as joyful to pursue as to achieve. 

Use these questions to help you shift your goals from shoulds to gifts:

  • As you look over what you want to achieve, what are the “should” elements? 
  • Which parts of what you want to achieve feel like giving yourself a big, important gift – the gift of fulfillment? 
  • How can you reframe your goals or the way you are working on them to leave the “should” element aside and give it more of a “gift-goal” feeling?
  • At the end of this time period, what would success look like to you?
  • What would you create or bring into your life that would give you delight, joy and pleasure?

Rewrite your goals as gift goals. (Or give yourself permission to drop some entirely.)


NOW LET IT BE EASY!
These are Tara’s recommendations for setting yourself up for success. Go through these questions for each of your goals.

Create a plan based on your unique strengths and resources. What resources, strengths and assets do you have already that can help you achieve your gift goal? Consider people/relationships/connections, information, time, money, energy, talents, expertise, and background.

See yourself in partnership with a larger force. What larger force for good do you think would applaud what you are doing, be aligned with what you are doing, be on your side? 

Make it the default. How can you set up the actions you want to take as the default – what you’ll do automatically? If you can’t make them the default, how can you make them as convenient as possible? 

Find champions and sources of accountability. Who will you feel motivated to check in with, not out of fear or guilt, but because you like celebrating successes with them and feel you can be honest with them when it’s not going well? 

Compassionately investigate when you get stuck. If you find you aren’t moving forward toward your aspirations, ask yourself with kindness, “What’s going on here? What’s the stumbling block? What do you need to move past it?” Then listen to the answer and act on it.
 

Content used with permission in my role as a trained and certified Playing Big facilitator.
For more, visit taramohr.com or see the book, Playing Big: Practical Wisdom for Women Who Want to Speak Up, Create, and Lead (Penguin Random House).
© TARA MOHR  /  TARAMOHR.COM


There you have it! 

A new way of thinking about your goals and a path forward to create what you desire.

If you’ve followed the process I’ve shared in the emails, whether just one of the exercises or all of them, I am certain you will have more clarity and a sense of possibility than when you started.

I’m curious what resonated the most with you and what questions you have? Reply to this email and let’s connect about it. I value hearing your insights and perspectives.

Tomorrow I’ll give you one last gift to deeply anchor all of your insights and connect you to your inner knowing.

Happy Holidays and a very happy New Year!

With so much love,
Allison

Create a Year You Love: How Satisfied Are You?

“Your goals are the road maps that guide you and show you what is possible for your life.”

Les Brown

Each day this week I’m sharing bits of my own end-of-year goal setting process along with a few of my favorite coaching tools.

Whether you do these exercises now or over the next couple of weeks, this is your invitation to take a moment for yourself, get intentional, reflect on the past year and envision what’s next. 

Give yourself this gift. It’s how to make the results you want to see in your life inevitable.

On Monday, I shared how evaluating brings awareness which is the most important first step. 

Yesterday, you learned that focusing on the who makes a bigger impact than figuring out the how.

Today I offer you a downloadable worksheet that gives you a crystal clear snapshot of your life right now and what would make it amazing! This is the basis for the goals you create.

Let’s go!
 



THE WHEEL OF LIFE

The Wheel of Life assesses your life satisfaction. You’ll see the areas that are out of balance and use it to prioritize where to focus your attention.

This particular worksheet, created for my clients, goes even deeper with space to reflection on each area of your life and what your life would be like if you were totally satisfied.
 


The Wheel of Life can be very eye opening. I invite you to explore it with self-compassion, open heartedness and lovingkindness. 

Please let me know how it resonates with you and your insights from doing the exercise. Were there any surprises?

I need you to know that those 10s are not out of reach. They are not for you someday. You can start feeling that way about your life now. You can start creating that in your life now. You just need to decide.

Coaching helps you get there so much faster and with way more fun! My clients have the results to prove it.

Reach out to me for a free consult and let’s talk about where you want to be and how to make it a reality. 

Tomorrow you’ll give yourself some gift goals and I’ll show you how to make it easy!

Happy Holidays and wishing you a very satisfying New Year!

With so much love,
Allison

Create a Year You Love: Who Before How

“We do not see the world as it is, we see it as we are.”

Anais Nin

The holiday season is in full swing and you’re likely juggling a lot at the moment. 

Unless you get intentional, the busy-ness of life can keep you from taking time for yourself to pause and reflect on the past year and envision the next.

Before you know it you’ll look up and another year has gone by.

That’s why I’m offering this gift to you.

I’ve broken down my own-end-of-year goal setting process and combined it with some of my favorite coaching tools so that creating a year you love and the results you desire is inevitable. 

Each day this week I will send you simple prompts. Take a moment now (none of these will take longer than 10 minutes) and you’ll create positive change for a lifetime. Truly. 

Yesterday, I shared how evaluating brings awareness which is the most important first steps.

Today we look at who you desire to be in the new year, which is far more important than how you do it.

Let’s get started!
 



THE WHO BEFORE HOW

When you think about goal-setting you probably first think of what you want to accomplish and then your brain goes straight to figuring out how you will do it.

It might seem counter-intuitive, but the secret to sustainable change is starting with WHO.

When you start with WHO – your values, your purpose, your passion, your beliefs – the what and how become really clear and practically effortless.

Here’s the thing. We often try to take on too much. We expect to be amazing in all areas of our lives all at once – the best mom, the most loving partner, the most productive employee, the most accomplished creative – but we end up burning ourselves out and not feeling good about any of it.

So in this exercise you’ll constrain to one role that you’d like to focus on this year.

That’s doesn’t mean you won’t do anything else, obviously you still have other responsibilities. 

But when you choose a focus the choices you make to support yourself become clear.

Set a 2 minute timer and write your answers to these questions.

 




What roles do I play in my life?

Think about your current responsibilities. What am I accountable for in my life? What do I do during the day? What do I do during weekends? What would I call the role I’m playing as I’m doing each of these activities?

Examples: parent • child • family member • homeowner • manager • employee • employer • partner • money manager • writer • self-caregiver • friend • adventurer • cheerleader • action taker • personal champion • dreamer • DIYer • student • speaker • motivator  • traveler • dog trainer


Which role is my major focus for the year?

Harness your power in one main direction to achieve the kind of change you want to make. When there is one role on which you’re focused, you find focus and new levels of persistence and determination. 

How to choose? Ask yourself these questions…

  • If I could put one problem behind me, once and for all, what would it be?
  • In which role do I want to have a breakthrough?
  • If I were able to put a big check beside one of my roles at the end of the year, signifying that I felt a sense of mastery in that role, what would it be?
  • What’s the biggest impediment to my success and happiness right now?
  • Which aspect of my life is the biggest drain on my energy and willingness to go for it in life?

Remember that what you focus on is what you get – focusing your awareness on this role will generate the result you want.

*These questions are inspired by the book The Best Year Yet!, by Jinny Ditzler, Grand Central Publishing, 2000.



There you have it.

WHO you will BE in 2023.

In 2022 my role was “leader” and I was pleasantly surprised by all the ways that role played out over the year and how I grew into that self-concept.

Feel free to reply and share your role for 2023 or any insights that came up for you. If I hear from you, I’ll share the role I’m focusing on this year. It’s bumping me up against my comfort zone in the best way. 

Tomorrow I’ll share a tool that will give you an overview of your life, where you are now and where you’d like to be. It’s what I use in my consults or for initial coaching sessions and gives you a great foundation for creating a life you love. You won’t want to miss it!

Happy Holidays and wishing you a New Year you love!

With so much love,
Allison

Create a Year You Love: 3 Important Questions to Ask Yourself

Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.

Tony Robbins

The holiday season is in full swing and you’re likely juggling a lot at the moment.

Unless you get intentional, the busy-ness of life can keep you from taking time for yourself to pause and reflect on the past year and envision the next.

Without this intentionality before you know it you’ll look up and another year has gone by.

That’s why I’m offering this gift to you.

I’ve broken down my own end-of-year goal setting process and combined it with some of my favorite coaching tools so that creating a year you love and the results you desire is easy and inevitable. 

Each day this week I will send you simple prompts. Give yourself a moment of reflection and intention now (none of these will take longer than 10 minutes) and you’ll create positive change for a lifetime. Truly. 

Let’s get started!


EVALUATE

Becoming aware is always the first step and the most important.

Why? Because you can’t change what you can’t see. And where your attention goes your energy flows.

Before you do this exercise, I invite you to drop the gavel and take off the Judge’s robes.

Instead put on your Curious Explorer hat.

Lean into non-judgment. Be kind and curious. Be open.

Pro-tip: For each question, set a timer for 2 minutes and keep writing until the timer goes off. This gives your brain time to go deeper than your initial answers and also gives contraint so you don’t overthink.
 


Reflecting on this past year…

What worked?
What do you feel really good about? What are you proud of? What did you accomplishments? When were you in integirty and alignment? Make sure to include it all, the big and the small.


What didn’t work?
What feels disappointing? What didn’t you get to? What do you wish happened that didn’t? In what ways were you out of integrity or alignment?


What will you do differently?


Bonus Question: What lessons are you taking with you into 2023?
As you look over your answers what patterns do you see? What insights are coming up for you? Write down the the lessons and let them guide you in the next year.
 



That’s it. 

Simple questions that have the potential to create really meaningful results.

Tomorrow I’ll share an easy way to focus on who you want to be in 2023.

Feel free to reply and share any insights that came up for you. I read and reply to every email I get from you guys and I deeply value hearing from you.

Happy Holidays and wishing you a very intentional New Year!

With so much love,
Allison

Your Own Best Frenemy

Person looking in a broken mirror.

“I learned a long time ago, the wisest thing to do is be on your own side.”

Maya Angelou

“I don’t mean to be rude but…”

Ugh. That Simon guy on American Idol was such a d-bag.

When he’d start of his critique that way, you know he did mean to be rude and he was about to say something nasty for the sake of helping someone “improve.”

Sadly, I see this same approach in so many women – clients, colleagues, friends. 

These are smart, talented, successful, all-around amazing women who save their harshest, most judgemental voice for themselves.

All in the name of becoming their “best selves.”

Ask me how I know.

It can sound like looking in the mirror and saying, “Ugh. You’ve gained weight, honey. You really need to eat better and work out more.”

Or maybe it’s replaying work scenarios over and over for days, “Well, you screwed up that presentation. You stumbled over your words and they had so many questions. I bet everyone hated it.”

Maybe it’s a voice whispering in the middle of the night telling you that dream you have, isn’t that important after all.

Perhaps it’s dating. Or showing your art to the world. Or starting a business. Or being a mom.

The areas of our life that we care most deeply about and desire our greatest success and fulfillment are often where we show up as our own best frenemy.

Most of the women on my consults don’t even hear their self-criticism and contempt. They “don’t mean to be rude” they think they’re just telling themselves the truth.

Listening to that frenemy has gotten them pretty far in life but she’s also exhausting and they are so tired of her bullshit.

There is also a point when you are really ready to level up that her “tough-love tactics” don’t work anymore. They certainly don’t create a satisfying and fulfilling life.

So, one of the first things we do in coaching is to take away her power.

The key is love. 

See, you’re not going to get in a cat fight with this frenemy. Because she don’t play. She just comes back harder.

Instead you learn to notice when she shows up and then in various ways you can lovingly tell her to calm down.

She wants to be heard and understood and to keep you safe. But when you’ve got your own back because you are a true friend to yourself, then you don’t need that kind of back-handed emotional protection.

“Thank you, but no thank you.”

When you are able to literally calm your nervous system and shift yourself back into a higher brain state and into the energy of possibility, creation and love, that’s when you become that sought after best self.

It is by doing this over and over again that you develop a new relationship with yourself.

You become a true friend. Your own best friend.


You are driven and have big ideas you want to bring to life. You can do it without being terrible to yourself. In 6 months you can be on your way to the life of your dreams.

The first step is being okay with not having it all figured out and then hopping on a consult call so we can talk.

Give yourself the gift of an hour to get dreamy about life and your relationship with yourself and see what’s possible. You absolutely deserve it and don’t let that frenemy of yours tell you differently.

You Have to Believe We Are Magic

7-year old me waving her silver glitter-covered wand (hard to see it in this old-school exposure) and helping her Barbies live their best lives. #bornforthis

“Magic is believing in yourself, if you can do that, you can make anything happen.”

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Magic!

That’s how I often describe coaching.

It feels that way to me and it feels that way to my clients.

Just last week one of my clients resigned from a stagnant, unfulfilling job that she’s had for many years.

In a few weeks she’ll step into a leadership role as employee #3 for a woman-owned startup that is making an impact in ways that are really important to her. 

Six months ago, when we started coaching together, she knew she wanted out of her current position but had no idea what was next. 

In our first visioning session she had this gorgeous vision of all the things she wanted in a dream job.

I know to her it seemed impossible to have all of that. I just smiled knowingly.

Now here she was at the end of our 6-month engagment telling me, “Everything is landing the way I wanted. I got everything I wanted. Everything is coming to me. It feels like I’m a wizard or something.”

There’s that magic!

But magic is a mysterious force and when she thought of it that way there was some uneasiness. Like it could all go “poof!” and go away.

So as I do with all my final coaching sessions, I took her on a journey of the last six months. We looked back over her challenges and accomplishments, her actions and results, her celebrations and insights.

When I was done she saw so clearly that it wasn’t actually mysterious.

It was her. 

She became the person who created the results she had. 

I bet you’re wondering, if it was her then couldn’t she have just done that on her own? Perhaps. 

If you could get all of your results on your own, wouldn’t you have them already?

It’s really hard to see our own thoughts and ways of being when we are viewing them from our current perspective.

This is where it feels a bit magical again…

It was her AND it was coaching. 

What happens in a coaching relationship with a trained coach that is different than other supportive relationships?

Once again, the magic isn’t so mysterious.

We work to access your higher level thinking.

We uncover the ingrained patterns of thought and behavior that have you doing what you’ve always done and begin to create new beliefs so you can see new results.

A good coach challenges you to move from fear-based reaction to intentional action.

As you do that in a guided, supportive, attuned relationship with someone who believes in you, your wisdom and your potential so unconditionally you begin to create internal safety so you can stretch beyond the edges of your comfort zone. 

You get to know that future version of yourself who has the courage and capacity to create what you desire and you start to embody her now.

And when I coach there is usually lots of laughter and a few curse words.

And Love. There’s always Love.

A message I pass on my walk around Lady Bird Lake in Austin.


So maybe it is magic. But we are the ones holding the wand.

As that client reflected on her coaching journey last Saturday she recognized that those results came from her and how she showed up – her new powerful thoughts, the way she conducted her emotional energy, her more compassionate relationship with herself as she took courageous action in the face of uncertainty – and she said:

“It’s so striking [hearing all of that] because It makes me feel even more powerful, even more like a magical wizard.”

It wasn’t going to go away becasue it came from her. 

Now she’s bringing that power to all areas of her life where she wants to create and conjure her desires into being. She has it when she needs to make hard decisions and face challenges with fierce belief in herself.

But she’s not special.

Well, actually, she is. 

She’s infinitely special. And so are you Allison. 

We all are.

Coaching connects you to this power within you.

So what glorious magic would you like to create in your life?

Abracadabra, baby!

With so much love,

Allison

P.S. What would you like to create in your life in 6 months? A year?

Imagine me reflecting on our time working together. Whet would I say about you and about how you showed up? What are you believing about yourself? What results did you create? What felt impossible that’s now a reality? What are we celebrating? What impact does this have on your life?

Reply to this email or sign up here for a free, no-obligation coaching consultation and we’ll explore these questions.

You’ll get so much awareness about yourself, where you are in your life and where you want to be. This conversation alone will change you. Are you ready? Let’s go!

Are You Forgetting Someone?

Woman with arms outstretched and a sky full of stars behind her.

“Live as though life was created for you.”

Maya Angelou

A friend of mine is going through a divorce and while the change is amicable, it’s still a very challenging time. 

She’s doing things she’s never had to do on her own before, she’s learning on the fly, she’s having to speak up for herself and make important decisions, all while in the thick of uncertainty. 

Naturally all of this is deeply uncomfortable for her, as it would be for anyone.

She has shared that she finds courage in thinking about doing this for her daughter. 

She also feels empowered when she remembers the strong women who’ve come before her who didn’t have the same choices and privileges she has now.

She thinks about the generations of women coming after her. She’s being brave and making certain choices, laying a foundation for them too.

Yes! Connecting to others and to something bigger than ourselves is a very powerful way to move toward our goals.

Yet, I can’t help but notice there’s something…or someone…missing as she describes her motivations.

Herself.

Where is she in her reasons for finding courage, speaking up and doing what makes her happy?

This is what I want to shout – with all the fiery love I have – to her and anyone else who needs to hear it:

It is perfectly okay for you to want to be happy, for the simple pleasure of being happy.

It is perfectly okay to want to do something, to stand up and speak up for something, to make a decision because it is what you want to do, because it feels right to you, because you love your reasons.

It’s perfectly okay for you to have needs and to have other people support you in getting them met.

It is perfectly okay to have desires, goals, and dreams for no other reason than the fact that they are important to you.

My dear friend is not alone in forgetting herself. This comes up for many of the women I coach. It shows up with some of my friends. I even see it in myself at times.

These are patterns that are deeply ingrained in many women. (And some men too.)

We are conditioned as caregivers and nurturers, the ones who think about others first. We see needs and take care of them. We give. Wholeheartedly. We get the message that to do otherwise would be selfish. We downplay our own needs because we don’t want to be burdens. We look for approval, permission and validation outside of ourselves. We hold others up on pedestals, looking at them for inspiration and motivation. We downplay our own magnificence, not wanting to be seen as too much.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to serve and care for and nurture. Most of us get deep satisfaction in giving of ourselves in this way.

It becomes a problem when you forget about including yourself.

It’s not sustainable and will often lead to physical depletion and illness, emotional overwhelm, resentment, strained relationships, feeling stuck, powerless and put upon.

Luckily it’s not true that it has to be one or the other. You don’t have to lose yourself when you give of yourself.

You can give and receive.

In fact, this win-win level of energy is a potent creative force. 

I work with my clients to show them that they can have and do both. 

They unravel those tired old patriarchal messages and live in alignment with their own beliefs. They hear their own wisdom.

They set healthy boundaries and take care of themselves.

They know that their needs, their happiness and their dreams matter. 

They see themselves just as worthy of love and abundance as the people around them.

As they live in this way of being, they can’t help but radiate love outwards and that has such a powerful influence and impact.

This is what I want for you too.

You don’t have to stop caring for others or thinking of others or finding inspiration in others.

Just remember to include yourself.

With so much love,

Allison

P.S. Your dreams and your happiness matters. To all of us. Don’t hold back what you are feeling called to create and contribute to the world. 

What would happen if you were fearless about living your purpose and being the change you want in this world?

 Sign up here for a free, no-obligation coaching consultation and we’ll explore these questions.

You’ll get so much awareness about yourself, where you are in your life and where you want to be. This conversation alone will change you. Are you ready? Let’s go!

The Power of Taking Responsibility

“It is only when you take responsibility for your life that you discover how powerful you truly are.”

Allanah Hunt, Coach & Author

My mom likes to tell me this story. When she was pregnant with me, she dove into learning about conscious parenting because she wanted to do things differently than her own parents did. She wanted to interrupt generational trauma.

One of the ways she did that was to pick the one value that was most important to her. It would be the characteristic she most wanted to develop in me. This choice would guide many of her parenting decisions as I grew up.

The value she chose: responsibility.

To her this meant I took ownership of my actions. That I was aware of the impact of my choices on myself, on others and the world around me. That I took ownership of my life.

I am so grateful for that gift because it has guided me throughout my life.

It’s been particularly valuable because the tendency of my easy-going, laid back personality is to avoid or procrastinate especially when things are difficult.

That’s when this deeply rooted belief of responsibility kicks in and keeps me moving forward. 

Often when we’re feeling drained and stuck we are mired in the energy of victimhood. It’s that feeling that no matter what we do it won’t make a difference. The “why bother” mentality. 

Victimhood can also look like blaming others for our results. If only they changed, or if only my circumstances were different, then everything would be better. 

These thoughts keep us at arms length from our own agency and personal choice. It keeps us from taking responsibility for our thoughts, feelings and actions.

That’s why I was jolted to attention when my own coach said to me last year:

“You seem to think you are a victim to your life.”

I had shared with her that I was waking up at 2 in the morning full of fear that I was ruining my family’s future because I was following my dream of having my own business. 

As a coach I know that those inner critic thoughts get louder as we meet our growth edge and increase our capacity.

But in those early morning hours the fear of failure felt so true and inevitable. My heart would beat hard, I’d get clammy and my brain would run wild with all the terrible scenarios. 

Her words…”you think you are a victim to your life”…interrupted the fear thoughts and the blinders dropped away.

I suddenly saw very clearly.

I am the one responsible here. 

That future I was worrying about? It wasn’t up to someone else to make (or break) it. There was no one coming to do it for me.

I was the one responsible for creating my future.

I could stay stuck in fear or I could take ownership. 

This lightening bolt of recognition happens for my clients too. 

These courageous women are going through big transitions and life circumstances – divorce, infertility, stressful jobs, parenting teens, aging parents, big career changes.

When they come to coaching so much feels out of their control that they’ve thrown up their hands and said, “there’s nothing I can do, that’s life” or their fighter is in overdrive and they’re trying to control every. single. aspect. of the situations or people in their life.

Neither of these approaches serves them. 

What does serve is exploring these questions:

          What is not in my control?

          Where do I have control?

          What am I responsible for?

          What is my role in this situation? (and what do I want it to be?)

You start to see that you have agency. That you can make choices. There are possibilities.

You can choose your thoughts and your responses. You can take responsibility for your actions.

You see that you are part of the glorious co-creation of your life.

This is the great news…you are not a victim to your life, you are responsible for it. 

P.S. If you are done with thinking life just happens to you and are ready to take ownership and live a life YOU love, let’s talk. It starts with a free, no-obligation consultation. This conversation alone will change you. You ready? Let’s go!

There’s Something Special You Need to See

The lantana flowers are in full bloom in Central Texas right now.

They’re commonplace in the front yards here growing so profusely it’s easy to walk on by without giving them any thought.

But if you just pause and notice, you’ll see something really special. 

Look closely and what appears to be one pretty, colorful flower is actually a cluster of teeny-tiny flowers. Each one is unique, complex and beautiful on its own and also a part of the beautiful whole.

Like looking at the enormity of the night sky, the impossibly small intricacy of this flower also inspires a sense of awe and wonder.

This feeling enveloped me on my morning walk the other day and I had to stop and take a picture to try and capture the beauty I was seeing and experiencing. 

As I was kneeling there trying to get my iPhone to focus, a butterfly flew in and landed on the flower. No joke. 

brown butterfly sitting on an orange lantana blossom

I was delighted!

Talk about amazing little creatures. Gorgeously vibrant and simultaneously delicate and strong. Then there’s the fact that they’ve literally transformed themselves from a crawling caterpillar to a flying butterfly.

That flower.

That butterfly.

I couldn’t help but think of my beautiful boys.

Their growing bodies, their interesting personalities, their complex brains, their unfolding lives.

My heart was filled with gratitude and amazement at the life around me.

These beautiful things and beings and people that are a part of our every day, easy to walk by, easy to take for granted.

But if we just slow down for a moment it’s also easy to recognize the miracles that they all are. 

Then it hit me in a mind-blowing way.

I am an integral part of this extraordinary life too! 

So are you, my friend.

Do you see that you are just as miraculous? 

Just as miraculous as a flower, a butterfly, a child.

How often do you sit in gratitude and amazement, in awe and wonder for who you are and how you’ve unfolded and transformed in your own life?

I see you.

You are beautiful and unique. You are intricately made – body, mind and spirit. Extraordinarily delicate and powerfully strong at the same time. A necessary part of this gorgeous, connected, complex life.

I invite you to pause a moment and notice. I promise you’ll see something very special.