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International Coaching Week

February 6, 2012 By Gerri Leave a Comment

International Coaching week started on Sunday. I was thinking about it this morning, remembering back in 2005 when I burned out on my well-paying management job. I understood the meaning of ‘going postal’, knowing that if I had to look forward to doing that work for the next ten or twenty years, I could have done bodily harm to a client!

Having no idea of what was on my career horizon, I gave a nine month notice to the board of directors, that I wouldn’t be renewing my contract at the end of the year. Now what? I prayed, asking God to show me how I could be of service to Him and to people, while still earning a decent living.

Within a few weeks of giving notice, one of my good friends sent me a link to a life coach’s website. I had never heard of coaching before, and figured it was probably one of those new-age California gimmicks. Lo and behold, that coach lived less than thirty minutes from me; could my quiet, little Brevard County, Florida be that progressive?
Lorraine Edey became my coach, introducing me to the exciting world of coaching. I took the prescribed classes and soon was working with clients of my own.

“What are your goals?” Coach Lorraine queried during one of our sessions. I shared that I always wanted to write a book. I soon discovered that if I waited for inspiration, that book would remain a figment of my imagination. Coach Lorraine inspired me to develop an action plan, and take the steps to putting that book on the market. It took a year, but soon I was signing copies of Trust God and Buy Broccoli, A Spiritual Approach to Weight Loss. My dream became a goal, because I spent the money on me, to hire a coach and take some action!

During this week, International Coaching Week, I challenge you to really think about your dreams and what you might do to make them a reality. Go visit the International Coach Federation or World Coach Institute’s Website and pick someone who resonates with you. Check out their website. Send them an email and ask for a complimentary session. Don’t go to your grave with dreams that never materialized because you didn’t know how to get them off the ground.

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Filed Under: Blog Posts Tagged With: achieve excellence, coach, coaching, goals, Hire a Coach, International Coach Federation, International Coaching Week, life coach, listen, new perspective, published books, trust God and Buy Broccoli, World Coach Institute

Who Are Your Heroes?

January 4, 2012 By Gerri Leave a Comment

Remember Sully Sullenberger?

He’s the pilot who miraculously landed a jet on the Hudson River without losing one of his 155 passengers. He was ranked second in TIME Magazine’s Top 100 Most Influential Heroes and Icons of 2009. When asked about his biggest accomplishment, Sully didn’t cite the landing; he said, “Our daughters.”

In 2010, Sully interviewed another hero – Chief Master Sergeant Tony Travis, who created a makeshift control ‘tower’, where planes could bring sorely needed supplies into the earthquake ravaged Haiti. Water and supplies insured survival for thousands of Haitians. Bet you never heard of Sergeant Tony Travis! He’s an unsung hero.

There are many unknown heroes, but you rarely hear about the boy scout who helps an old lady get across the road these days. I went hero-hunting on the internet and found a bunch of people that I not only I didn’t know, but also wasn’t significantly impacted by their heroics. This lead me to wonder about who my heroes are. I have a few and want to take this opportunity to say, “Thank you.” I’d much rather write about them, than people I don’t know.

I was first introduced to Ann Lamott when a friend sent me a copy of her book, Traveling Mercies.  It was at a time when I felt like my life was spiritual, but I didn’t necessarily worship in community. I developed a curiosity about possibly returning to church but even better, I loved her style of writing. It was more like somebody talking; it was kind of like how I talked and it birthed an ‘ah-ha’ moment for me – I could also write a book! And I did! So, thank you Ann! I’m one of the people who’ve you’ve impacted.

In 2005, burned out by 25 years of managing communities, I prayed for an angel who’d help me figure out what I could do with my life, and was introduced to Coach Lorraine Edey.who walked with me while I turned dreams into goals and finally  become a life coach and motivational speaker! She helped me with the business side of becoming a coach and when I inadvertently shared that I always wanted to write a book, encouraged and supported me until the boxes of Trust God and Buy Broccoli arrived on my doorstep. Lorraine held my intentions to become a spiritual coach; I believe that I wouldn’t be the intuitive coach that I am today without her intercession. Thank you, Coach Lorraine for your impact on my life.

Perhaps there’s some heroes in your life too, that you’ve just never really thought about how they changed your direction or assured you on your present path. Why not take a moment today to thank them?

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Filed Under: Blog Posts Tagged With: Ann Lamott, Chief Master Sergeant Tony Travis, coach, coaching, Coaching Inspirations, giving, goals, God, heroes, life coach, Lorraine Edey, new perspective, New year's resolutions, published books, reframe, spiritual experiences, spiritual relationships, Sully Sullenberger, Traveling Mercies, trust God and Buy Broccoli

New Habits for 2012

January 3, 2012 By Gerri 2 Comments

Marcia Sirota wrote an article yesterday about ten bad habits to let go of in 2012. Some of them are pretty good, such as ‘comparing yourself to other people.’ Whenever I do that, I come up short. I’d much rather look for ways that we are the same. I can usually relate in some way to everyone. Yes, everyone! Everyone has something in common with someone else. And we all will have something more (or a little less) than the next guy. It’s just too
exhausting to look for how I’m different and then feeling less-than as a result. So, thank you, Dr. Marcia, I’m going to use that one.

The article also recommends that we let go of jealousy, avoidance, rudeness, denial,
complaining, gossip, a bad attitude, co-dependency and facebooking your ex. All are excellent habits to replace with something positive.

I have a few good habits that I want to reinforce in 2012:

Building a support team – Self-sufficiency propelled me to over 250 lbs. I binged, dieted and failed at diets alone. About nineteen years ago, I was introduced to the concept of building a support team to help me with my goal of weight loss. I’m sure that some friends thought me to be a bit daft when I’d call and let them know that I was thinking about eating a whole bag of cookies. We’d laugh about it and voila! I didn’t eat the first cookie. I know today that I need people in my life for all successes – you just get more results with an army than a slingshot and a pebble, unless of course, you are David.

Listen More – Every time I give to others, I get something in return. It doesn’t have to be about money either! Listening is so valuable and sometimes it’s just what a friend might need while working through a tough time. I also want to listen to my own instincts around self-care.

Forget the One – If there are 99 people in a room that love me, I’m not going after the 1 who doesn’t any more. There are always going to be people who don’t prefer my company, so I’ll bask I what I have and not worry about what I don’t have. Unless of course, the one is Tony Stewart. I’d have to go after him! He drives pretty fast and I’d probably not catch him, but I’d have to try.

 

Strengthen my Spiritual Disciplines – I presently start my day out with prayer, meditation and whenever possible, exercise. It feels so good to be connected to God in this way. And there’s always time to meditate during the day – it only takes a minute to stop and take time to breathe in God and breathe out self, or whatever might trouble me at the time. Just for one minute. Try it!

I’m also going to keep it simple this year. I was racking my brain to come up with more good habits, but this is really enough. I can make a list of ten but odds are excellent that adding more will only lead to doing less.

What bad habits do you want to release? What good habits will you reinforce in 2012?

 

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Filed Under: Blog Posts Tagged With: achieve, achieve excellence, bad habits, coaching, goals, Keep it simple, life coach, listen, meditation, New year's resolutions, Reflection, Spiritual, spiritual awakenings, spiritual experiences, Tony Stewart

Bartering – getting what you need without cash!

December 14, 2011 By Gerri 2 Comments

Thousands continue to lose jobs in this challenging economy. Many who never faced unemployment, find themselves with no job and dwindling prospects of a new one. Restricted job opportunities have lead to a surge in entrepreneurship; out of the horrors of being jobless, the dream of working for oneself has emerged and come to fruition for many! In 2010, nearly 565,000 businesses were started each month, the highest number in more than a decade, according to the Kauffman Foundation, which researches entrepreneurship trends.

Cash-strapped new business owners have discovered bartering as a viable option to get the services and products they need. ““When you’re starting out, cash flow is everything,” said Catherine Fischer, co-owner of the Parkway Theater, an Oakland movie house that serves up pizza, pasta and beer to its audiences. “By bartering, you can get goods and services you need to get your business going without tying up your cash.”

I’ve used bartering to create my website! It’s hard for me to wrap my head around technical stuff; I know how I want it to look, but lack the interest and knowledge to make it look like a million bucks. I also was lacking the funds to hire a good web designer. Over the years, I’ve traded coaching for web design. My site has morphed a few times with each new barter, but alas (or thank God), I’m a good coach and those clients moved on.

I made a decision; It’s time to hire a real web-guru, who will not only freshen the look but also teach me to do a few things on my own. I’m ready to learn how to do a little maintenance on it myself! I’m actually excited about it! I’ve interviewed a few people and discovered that the cost can vary from one to another by a great degree! I’m going to bite the bullet however, and hire a professional web designer.

I’m also bartering with a massage therapist, and is she ever good! If you are in the Orlando Area, you really have to contact Nancy.  Have table will travel! It’s symbiotic! If you are a new entrepreneur, don’t be afraid to think outside the box. What services do you need? What can you offer another business? Check www.craigslist.com for products and services that you need, drop them a line and see if they are interested in bartering with you. Tweet and ask on Facebook. Create a flyer! Time to think outside the box. And if you need help to think outside the box, give me a call!  Who knows, maybe we can barter too!

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Filed Under: Blog Posts Tagged With: barter, coach, coaching, creative thinking, entrepreneurship, life coach, massage, reframe, unemployment, web design
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