T'is the Season to be ...

How do you fill in the blank? What words describe the way you feel about the holidays as they swoop in and take over your every movement for the next 6 weeks? Are you excited about the time that will be spent with family and friends? Do you look forward to the gift-giving and receiving, the decorating, the celebrating? Or are you already consumed with concerns over your budget, your diet, and the demands on your time?

I find it ironic and somewhat disheartening that, during the holidays, so many people experience more stress than enjoyment. Christmas has always been a lovely time of year in my home but, I have also found myself jumping on Treadmill, trying keep up, and make every Christmas better than the one before. When this happens, I pause and ask myself: “Will this [decision] help me create the holiday of my dreams or is it simply a reaction to what I think I “should” be doing?” Having a clear personal vision of what makes a successful Christmas gives me the focus and confidence to make those choices simple. The result: no stress!

Are you clear about your vision of success for this season? Would it be helpful to know HOW to get clear and make it happen? It is possible, you see, to create the Christmas of your dreams, where every decision you make it in alignment with that vision. I have the expertise to teach you, the tools to help you, and the skills to coach you. Give yourself this gift and you will have the merriest of Christmases. Contact me for details.

Yours in possibility,

Lisa

Lest We Forget

In the days leading up to Remembrance Day, school children receive lessons in history that tell the story of servicemen and women who have fought for the freedom that we enjoy today. Most are fortunate to have not been touched personally by the tragedies of war but “remember”, nonetheless, those who have made the greatest sacrifice.

I believe it is critical to pay tribute to those who make a deliberate choice to stand for the protection of our rights and freedoms. They are soldiers, their families, the communities and institutions that support them. They are also you and me. We are all tasked, each day, with taking a stand to preserve our culture and our history and to build a better tomorrow for ourselves, our children, and our children’s children.

As you remember those who have fallen, may you find the inspiration to Embrace Your Potential, in service to your country, community, and family. Be a LIVING lesson for our children. We have an obligation – because we have the freedom – to continue to strive for peace in the world, and it starts with YOU. God bless.

Lisa

The Scariest Thing of All

To many the most frightening thing to do is make a choice. We ask ourselves: What if I’m wrong? What if I fail? What if people think I’m stupid? What if I get hurt?

 

Face that fear.  Feel that fear and then doing it anyway!  You cannot grow unless you are willing to take a risk and move forward.  I told an audience of accountants this weekend, “When you are clear about your vision and it is backed up by a solid commitment, your choices will be made simple. They will be logical.”

Here is an excerpt from "Freeing Godiva: A Woman’s Journey to Self-Empowerment":

"The third key to a successful execution of your vision is choice. Each day, you make hundreds of choices. With a heightened level of consciousness, you become aware that every single choice you make either brings you closer to or further away from your vision. It’s a lot of responsibility, and isn’t it great? Remember back in step two, you accepted responsibility for creating the current reality that you don’t like? You also accepted responsibility for the power you have to create a spectacular new reality where you are embracing your potential. Every moment, you get to choose, so choose wisely. With every choice that is in alignment with your vision you’ll feel it. And it will feel awesome!"

Pre-order your copy of Freeing Godiva to soon be released.

On Hallowe’en, let the Trick or Treaters be the scariest thing in your life.  Consider all the possibilities when you let go of the fear that has been holding you back and choose, instead, to Embrace Your Potential!

Have a spooktacular day!

Lisa

Post 101: Express Your Passion and Purpose

I am excited to be writing a speech that I will deliver on Saturday evening for a new class of graduates.  Pumped by the sense of accomplishment following years of dedication and sacrifice, the audience will be ripe for words of encouragement to embrace their potential.

The timing really can’t be better.  While the uncertainty of the future may be a little scary to some, it is a wonderful opportunity to chart a brand new course, fuelled by passion and directed by purpose.  When you are given the chance to start over – whether it comes at graduation or retirement, when first become parents or send your kids off to college, when you get engaged or divorced – you have a brilliant opportunity to create a whole new world for yourself. 

In the soon-to-be-released book, “Freeing Godiva: A Woman’s Journey to Self-Empowerment”, I write about Living in Possibility and how you must believe in an empowered future in order to create one:

Living in possibility is feeling empowered to create something new every day that is in alignment with your core values and your personal vision of success. Living in possibility is about feeling empowered to contribute your unique talents and gifts and to inspire others to do the same. With deliberate intent, you will attract opportunities that were not previously available to you. This lifestyle is grounded in gratitude, integrity, and faith and it will yield tremendous success, as you define it. This definition of success is an expression of your passion and your purpose; it is what drives you to greatness. By living in possibility, you will build the confidence to Embrace Your Potential every day.

This is my core message regardless of my audience.  As I address this new graduating class, I will speak also with those who are there to support their continued growth and development.  This message is universal and it applies to you, too! Express your passion and purpose! Here’s to Living in Possibility!

I invite you to visit my new-and-improved website to pre-order the book now and learn about other services that I offer. 

Yours in Possibility,

Lisa

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder?

Anyone out there in a long-distance relationship, counting down the days to the next reunion? How do you cope? How do you manage your thoughts when your heart aches so deeply it wants to break open because you can see or touch the person you love? How do you quiet the words of fear and self-doubt when they creep in unexpectedly? How to you stifle the physical impulses that intrude in your daily routine at the mere mention of that person's name? Maybe you've never given it any thought...

I recently watched, the Warner Bros movie, Going the Distance. This passage sums up its premise:


Box: Now, look, I have done the long distance thing. And it is hard. As hell. And it doesn't matter how good the relationship is, it literally can just rip it apart. Look, it is just very hard to be away from the person you love for months at a time.

Garrett: I know. I know it's not gonna be easy.

Box: That's all I'm sayin'.

Dan: But maybe YOU never found the right girl.

Garrett: That's not a bad point.



Is it true that absence makes the heart grow fonder? Or does it mainly provide more opportunity for the eyes to wander, as one of my more cynical friends suggested when discussing the fate of long distance relationships? It is a topic worthy of debate and I would LOVE to hear your comments.



My final thoughts are summed up quite eloquently by a much older gentleman, Comte DeBussy-Rabutin (13 April 1618 – 9 April 1693):



“Absence is to love what wind is to fire; it extinguishes the small, it enkindles the great.”

The Rush of Possibility

Breathless, we flung us on a windy hill, laughed in the sun, and kissed the lovely grass.

-- Rupert Brooke

This kind of rapture is how I feel when I Stop the Treadmill of Life and Live in Possibility. This is how I feel when I surrender all the ‘shoulds’ in my life and just BE. This bliss, this awe, it is mine to cherish.

Do you remember the last time that the breeze, the sun, the green grass gave you such pleasure? If you can’t remember, I suggest it is time NOW. Find yourself some grass. (A backyard, picnic area, or even the side of a parking lot... it’s not that hard.) Step outside in your bare feet. Throw open your arms. Look up to the sky. Close your eyes. Breathe in deeply. Exhale. Spin around slowly (this will add to the fun). Ahh... now wasn’t that worth the effort? Can you feel the rush of possibility entering now that you have created the space?

I’d love to hear what simple steps you take to Stop the Treadmill of Life. The other readers of my blog would like to hear, too. Let’s face it; when you experience something as wonderful as this, you want the whole world to know it! Send your comments. We are all grateful.

T'is the Season for Royal Watching

Festivities at the nation's capital were taken up a notch this Canada Day and NOT just because Great Big Sea was playing again. No, the big draw for the 300,000 flag waving patriots was the chance to see the newlyweds, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

They began their North American visit in Ottawa and today, landed in Prince Edward Island where my friend Kevin, played hookey to get this photo of the couple as they enjoyed a horse-drawn carriage ride around Charlottetown. Such excitement!

So what is it about the royals that makes us stand at attention? What does this young couple represent to the public that they would interrupt their daily routine just for the possibility of see what Kate is wearing or Will flash his smile? Are they more than a passing fancy?

I'd love to hear your comments. They have captured the hearts of people all over the world, but you are in MY world and your thoughts are important to me so, tell me, what does the royal couple mean to you?

God Save the Queen.