My “Do” nothing January

I am not sure what it is about January. I have written about it, talked about it, analyzed it and still, the month gets away from me.  When I came up with the concept of “starting the New Year in February” a couple of years ago, the response from my readers was overwhelmingly positive.  “Oh thank heavens, Jan, now I don’t feel guilty for slacking off in January”,  “Thanks – now I can actually catch my breath after a crazy December”…Yeah, I feel that way too!  

According to my timeline, we still have another couple of weeks to  consciously and strategically plan 2012 before we get into full-blown action.  I, for one, am going to continue Reflecting & Dreaming  - and be really intentional about how I want to set up my ‘official’ New Year. Won’t you chill with me, stay in your own R & D phase,  and release the frantic need to “DO” for the next couple of weeks? 

Is that too “woo-woo”  for you? Do you need some tools to give y our R & D phase some structure?  You may have missed my ROCK YOUR 2012! Teleseminar on Jan. 12th but the good news is, you can still get access to  and download the mp3 replay recording and the 18 page Planning Guide.    Work through the guide while listening to the recording and you will set yourself up for a rockin’ 2012. Click here to get access to the free materials    (oh – and I should mention, there is a super dooper BONUS offer that I announced on the teleseminar – if you sign up for the mp3 and guide download, you will be eligible to get a 2 for 1 price for my upcoming Harmony from the Inside Out Teleboot Camp which begins Jan. 25th.) 

Happy Feb 1st New Year!

Jan Carley, Professional Certified Coach http://www.creativecoachinggroup.com

It’s time to invest in yourself! Why wait for 2012? Tele-Boot Camp starts Nov. 14th

Harmony by the Indian Ocean (photo: Kali Caramia)

Fabulous women from around the world will be gathering on the telephone, on Skype and on the Web on Monday nights from Nov. 14 – Dec 5th to re-boot their lives and set up their best year yet.  My Harmony from the Inside Out Tele-Boot Camp is a super-fun, content-rich, 4 week group tele-course that is guaranteed to kickstart your greatest life possibilities. 

Why wait for January 1st to think about the shifts you want to make in your life? 

Start setting up your brilliant 2012  in Nov. and take the crazy pressure off January!  

CLICK HERE FOR FULL DETAILS OR TO REGISTER!

(oh – an no worries if you can’t attend a call LIVE…the mp3 recording is made available to you the next day)

Cheers,

Jan Carley, Professional Certified Coach  http://www.harmonyfromtheinsideout.com/tele-boot_camp

There’s no such thing as Work/Life Balance

When we think of “balance”, most of us visualize an image of a scale with two weights. Someone, somewhere (and I am gonna hunt them down) coined the kooky phrase ”work-life balance” suggesting that one side of that scale is work, one side is life. Oh, it makes me crazy to even to write that.  Really – you mean there is WORK and then there is LIFE? Separate from work? Considering that for most of us 1/2 of our waking hours are spent working, that is a very sad concept.  

Joan Gurvis, co-author of FINDING YOUR BALANCE (Center for Creative Leadership http://www.ccl.org) wrote “Balance is not a matter of managing your time or giving equal effort to two opposing sides; it is about aligning your behaviour with what you believe is really important to you. When our lives don’t reflect our values, we feel that inconsistency as a measure of imbalance.”

In a nutshell, instead of balance being a measure of work/life, it is really about getting clear about what matters to you and then making the conscious choice to align your actions and activities with those priorities. Imbalance happens when you are not aligned. Simple eh?

Over-focusing in one area of your life is not an issue if it is aligned with your values and what you want for your life. The stress, incongruence and unhappiness come if that imbalance tilts you into a place that is not connected to your core essence. For example – my priority right now is in getting my coaching business flourishing – yes, I work 7 days a week, several hours per day. An outsider might look at this in our old balance paradigm and say I am out of balance. However, since I am absolutely doing what I believe is most important to me right now in my life, I do not in any way have the disquieting feeling that comes from being out of balance.

Finding your perfect balancing place will be an ever-changing journey that you will shift with and constantly reevaluate. Throw away the old limiting concept of the balancing scales with work on one side and life on the other. Instead, look at your entire life in the context of what is important to you, what fits with your values and what connects with your core essence.

Now, that is balance!

Jan Carley

ps/ find your unique balancing place by enrolling in my Harmony from the Inside Out Tele-Boot Camp   (Nov.14-Dec.5)

I Love You, You’re Perfect, DON’T Change!

Let’s start living with a sense of ease by abandoning our constant obsession with fixing our “defects” and instead, focusing  on enhancing our strengths.  Here’s the link to the feature article in my latest e-zine that’ll get you started working from your own place of brilliance!   BTW if you are a woman living in the Vancouver area  I am holding a FABULOUS FALL REBOOT one day workshop intensive on August 27th. It’s a great way to instantly re-focus on your signature strengths, re-align your life, and rejuvenate and supercharge your fall.  EARLY BIRD PRICING UNTIL JULY 31st.    CLICK HERE TO REGISTER OR FOR MORE INFORMATION

Hope to see you there!

Jan Carley, Professional Certified Coach

How do you Unplug?

Is it possible, in these “connected” times, to unplug and survive?  One of my close friends has never used email. I admit it frustrates me knowing that the only way I can reach her is to phone her. On the other hand, our 1 hour conversations are far more deep and satisfying than any number of more frequent emails I might have with others.  

In my recent newsletter I talk about “how to get away without going away” by creating ways for us to unplug in the context of our busy techno-tethered lives. 

What strategies do you use to “get away” to that wonderful place of “being”?    Please comment!  

Jan Carley

www.creativecoachinggroup.com

What’s your spring possibility?

My keynote speech for the North Vancouver School District Conference focused on the critical need to create possibilities for ourselves and in our own lives if we hope to create possibilities for others.  There is a reason they recommend that you put on your oxygen mask before you help others on an airplane. 

For those of us in the serving professions, this is a key point.   We must live and breathe our possibilities in order to open up possibilities for others.

I am a firm believer in possibility, and in the concept that anything is possible for anyone.  On my darker days of solo-entrepreneurship I flag a little bit in my belief, and then something happens to reaffirm. 

Spring is  perfect time to embrace new possibilities.  For my part, I am going to consider the possibility that by giving myself a full day off each week, I actually will be more effective.  That day off will include all the things I have too often left out of my life for the past few years – things like hiking, and biking, and just plain ‘ol having fun!

My son, Liam, is also embracing new possibilities as his band, NO GOLD, launch their debut album at the SXSW Festival in Austin, TX next week.  Here’s a track from his album  – have a listen!   2. Rainforts

What new possibilities will you consider this spring?  Please comment below!

Join the “Living on Purpose” Revolution!

Just say YES in the comment section if you want to join me and seriously start “Living on Purpose”. 

What does ”Living on Purpose”  mean?   I think it means using our 5 senses to their max…noticing, being aware…and being present…I think it means active listening …I think it means focus and awareness…of each and every moment. It means noticing that the seasons have changed before the autumn leaves actually fall…it means noticing and embracing the journey…it means living each day with intention….it means being grateful…being appreciative…and not letting another day go by without saying how much you love someone. It means saying what you mean when you mean to say it. It means breathing.

Living on Purpose – What does it mean to you?  I would love to hear your comments.

 

Summer Renewal Techniques

Many of my friends have had a tough spring, caring for unwell parents, or battling their own health crises.  I, too, have had a stressful spring watching my mom struggle with her increased symptoms from Parkinson’s Disease. It is easy to forget about self-care when involved in caregiving, yet  it is probably the most critical time to take care of oneself.  

With the accountability support of one of my coaching colleagues, and with the goal of rejuvenating myself, I have instituted a “Magic Moments“ program. Each day I will consciously do something to nourish myself  – create a “Magic Moment” for myself.   I am on day 5 now, and so far I have 1/eaten lunch on my deck outside looking at the beautiful flowers blooming rather than eating a sandwich in front of my computer , 2/ took an entire afternoon off riding my bike, 3/had a pedicure 4/didn’t set my alarm clock and slept in until 10 am…

I am loving my Magic Moments!

I am wondering what you could do this summer to renew your spirit?  What are your favourite summer relaxation techniques? Where do you go to rejuvenate?  What are your magic moments?  I would love to hear them! Comment here.

Redefining Success

I recently had the honour of keynoting at and emceeing the Western Canada Professional Coaches Conference in Canmore, Alberta.  The theme of the conference was “Redefining Success” and the speakers were stellar.  Author and coach, Andrea Lee provocatively challenged our success models as coaches and closing keynote speaker, Robert Holden, went to the very heart of what creates success, speaking from his popular book, Success Intelligence. 

The dictionary definitions of success seem woefully inadequate…so here’s a few more I came up with.  

Success: “When you feel truly at peace inside, with the joy and contentment of knowing you have made a contribution to this world.” 

Success: “When you risk the harsh tongue of critics and thrive in the telling of the tale.” 

Success: “When you go past your own self -imposed limitations and feel like flying.”

What is your definition of success? I would love to read your comments!

To your success I toast!

cheers,

Jan Carley

Mastering our Life Pentathlon

As Olympic fever grips my home city of Vancouver, BC, I have created a new winter Olympic Event – the Life Pentathlon.  This was the topic for my latest ezine.

To summarize, the 5 sports I chose, which, if mastered could make the greatest difference in helping us achieve our goals were:

 Event # 1    LUGE  - Getting Started      For any project, we know how important the start is. In the Luge, one of the most dangerous sports in the Olympic Games, the start is the most critical part of the race and the only part of the race where the athlete has control over the outcome. A great amount of force is required to get the luger moving at the start of the course and then gravity takes over. How similar is that to life?   Like the luge, it might take a lot to get yourself moving, or your project off the ground, but once you have begun, another energy takes over and will keep you going. You just have to begin!

Event # 2    CURLING - Strategizing 

According to the Canadian Curling Association, strategizing is a decision-making process each team goes through before, during and after a game. This includes setting goals, making game plans, deciding game style, shot selection,and game evaluation.  Described as “chess on ice”, curling embodies extensive planning components. This concept of planning isn’t news to most of us but it is a great reminder that to effectively launch any new project one must strategize and create a specific way to follow-through on those plans.  “A goal without an action plan is just a good idea.”

 

Event # 3     FIGURE SKATING - Having a Strong Foundation 

 Although we, as observers, get swept away with the breathtaking triple axels and quadruple toe loops of figure skating competitions, each technical element of every program must be rock-solid before even the contemplation of a successful execution of a jump. Technical mastery is at the foundation of every move the skater makes.  What we get to witness at the Olympics is that beautiful moment when the skater transcends technique. How does this apply to your life? You have to have a strong foundation upon which to build innovation and possibility. You must ensure your foundation is in place, that you have done the pre-work before you can even attempt the big jump.

  

Event # 4   SKI JUMPING- Taking a risk 

Imagine a sport where the goal is to fly as far as possible in the air (and with style).

How big do you want to play? If you want to achieve your greatest success you have to let go of solid ground and be prepared for a little “air time”. The scary bits are the pieces that really pay off.

“The bigger the dream, the bigger the self-doubt”. Now jump!

  

Event # 5   HOCKEY  – Support  

Like a successful hockey team, in order to achieve any goal you need to have support. A great team supports each other, and anticipates where and how to back each other up.  Good teams become great teams when they trust each other enough to sacrifice the “me for the “we”.  If you are heading out alone  as a “me” on your journey, you will find that you are more vulnerable, and therefore more susceptible to getting knocked down in challenging times.  Enlist support from every possible corner. Line up your fans, keep your focus on the greater “we”.

Which sports would you add?  Please leave your comments!

 

Cheers,

Jan Carley

jan@creativecoachinggroup.com