Being in Gratitude

I love Thanksgiving and all it's significance as an American. For me, it a special time of year to reflect back on all the gifts and opportunities that showed up this year. I live in gratitude and practice it everyday and it works.  When you are aware of the gifts that show up, no matter how big they are; acknowledge them and you will find that life is a bit easier to live and extraordinary things just happen.

2011 has been a busy year for me with coaching opportunities inside of companies, working with leaders and employees around culture; working with middle-management on being better leaders; working with individual executives sharpening their leadership skills and helping non-profits get more people involved and helping their clients with life skills. I have had the pleasure of traveling, enjoyed the gift of my son and daughter in law visiting from Argentina for a month; watch my granddaughter graduate from high school; enjoy friends; appreciate my good health - mind, body and spirit and having a loving man in my life. I look forward to what 2012 brings but don't dwell on it as that is tomorrow. A big goal of mine is to be part of change in the mortgage industry, helping leaders step forward and embrace a new way of leading, including encouraging more women to step into leadership roles. I am grateful for my friend and associate, Becky Walzak who is a strong woman and who also has a gift of writing. We co-author monthly articles for Progress in Lending e-magazine on leadership, culture, diversity in the mortgage industry.

Take the time to reflect on what you are grateful for this year even if it's just for a few minutes.

Gratitude

In honor of Thanksgiving, I want to be mindful of gratitude.


"Both abundance and lack exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend… when we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that’s present — love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature and personal pursuits that bring us pleasure — the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience Heaven on earth.” –Sarah Ban Breathnach

End of November 2010

Today is the last day of November 2010 and as always, I like to reflect back on the month and think about the happenings and how they affected me.  Some significant happenings were my daughter-in-law losing her father to a sudden illness and he was only 56.  I am glad we got the opportunity to meet him in Argentina last year at this time, he was a lovely man. I also started working in a company with two associates with a focus on creating a stronger culture from the top down.  This is what I was meant to do, help guide leaders to work their purpose and lead people to believe in the purpose and thrive.  I also helped one of my clients get promoted to a newly created position of more responsibility and continued success.  It's been such a pleasure to be on his journey as he embraced being open to getting better at communicating.  I conducted a couple of workshops on communication - one on effective networking and one on trust and collaboration.  Engaging people in conversation is the most effective way for them to embrace change.  You can't talk at people but instead involve them in the discussion.  I also conducted a workshop for Habitat for Humanity Family Support for new homeowners on passing the baton from Habitat to becoming responsible homeowners.  Again engaging the families in the conversations around this.  Great ideas were shared from some of them for the benefit of everyone. Thanksgiving was last week and we enjoyed the day with dear, long time friends.  We all shared things we were grateful for as we also shared our food.  I try to live in the present moment and be aware of the opportunities that show up at any given moment and they do.  You can't get frustrated if something is not going according to your plan as something unexpected can show up that may give you a whole new perspective to look at.  I know tomorrow will be another day into a new month and who knows how it will turn out.  I do know that I will embrace the cooler weather coming so we can open or doors again.

Thanksgiving Week

Everyone is getting ready for the big day of eating, enjoying the company of family and friends and possibly traveling.  Many people will be providing service to others in the form of helping feed the hungry, delivering food to the needy, collecting food, etc.  This is a great time to also reflect on what's good in your life, what you are grateful for and sharing that with others.  If you are doing the cooking, think about the neighbor, business associate or friend who may be alone and invite them over. Think of ways you can express your gratitude to the people in your life by remembering to thank them for something they have done - something as simple as r being in your life. Gratitude creates tremendous energy that comes back at you many times.  How can you incorporate more of recognizing this in your life? In the service of others is one way to spark the attention around the benefits of gratitude.  Have a blessed and safe holiday.