"Everyone who got where he is had to begin where he was."

----Robert Louis Stevenson

Do all the good you can,

By all the means you can,

In all the ways you can,

In all the places you can,

At all the times you can,

To all the people you can,

As long as ever you can.

---John Wesley

I was just thinking about how busy we all seem lately. What is compelling us to run around insanely day in and day out, over scheduling, over analyzing, over doing everything? Is it because we have no control over it? Would love to stop but can't? Or, could it be something deeper than that. Could it be our very identity is so tied into activity and achievement that we can't get past it? Could it be that our value as a person is called into question when we slow down?





It really is everywhere you look. Notice that just about every conversation begins with how busy everyone is. So much to do. Sorry, would love to see you but I have been out straight. And is this endless state of activity getting us anywhere? I often reflect on my "busy" day and see many activites that don't add up to anything related to my ultimate goal. I see lists of things to do with no particular goal in mind except ....keeping busy.





Maybe we should all think about what we would like to do if we weren't so busy....make a list, put "to-do" on the top and get busy doing that instead!

FEBRUARY QUICK TIP----GOING FOR IT!!

OK. I admit it. There is a big goal that I have, a "dream" I have been talking about forever but I have not been doing much to move towards it. (Sound familiar?) I have distracted myself from taking steps, made excuses as to why I couldn't possibly do it right now, and I continue to believe that I have all the time in the world to accomplish it. Maybe I do. Or maybe I need to get my butt in gear and take action...Maybe the world needs for me to create what I am visualizing...

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So, if this reminds you of something you have been putting off, putting aside or placing ever so far in the back of your mind in the hopes that it would just "create" itself, I challenge you to join me in taking action. Thinking about it is a good start. But that is often where it ends. What do we need to do to make it a reality?

1. Make it URGENT! Whatever it is you would like to accomplish must become just as important as those other "urgent" projects in your life. You know the ones: the dishes, the running around with the kids, the work projects...Schedule it in just like the rest of it.

2. Be aware of how you are looking at it. If the project is too scary, too big or overwhelming, you are naturally going to move away from it. How can you reframe it and have some fun? How exciting could you make the journey? What is the reward in accomplishing it?

3. Look for support and resources. I use to be the kind of person who would never ask anyone for help. Always wanted to do it all by myself. But I realized, we are all here to help one another...Life can be hard enough---connect with support and resources and make it EASIER!!

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Lastly, staying accountable to someone (or yourself) can be an essential tool in creating your dreams. With that in mind, feel free to email me your goal and a timeline for it and I will support you via email.

And because I must practice what I preach, here goes. By the beginning of June, I would like to create a series of CD's and/or workbooks based on my empowerment workshops. Well, I guess now the work begins!!

Go for it & enjoy the journey!

Quick Tip----January

Well, here we are...about to begin another new year! Before we let 2007 go and embark on the journey before us, I thought I would pass along a little something I saw posted on a life coaching board by Marcia Dorfman. It is a very effective exercise to help us all take an inventory of what we have learned and help us to move forward to create our future. If we do not take a moment to reflect on the past and fail to create an intention for the future, the "new year" often gets away from us. Time slips by in a heartbeat and we forget to declare what we want from our lives.

So, let's take the moment back! Writing down the answers to these statements can be a powerful way to create your 2008.

2007 Wrap UP
---Something I learned that is making a difference in my life
---What I am most proud of
--A disappointment I am ready to let go
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Now move on to Intentions...They help to keep us on track and in integrity.
---3 desires for 2008
---A commitment I am making TO MYSELF

I would also add that creating a statement of what you stand for in life can be a powerful beginning to aligning your intentions with your actions and ultimately enabling you to accomplish your new dreams for 2008.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Courtney Kelley

November Quick tip ----Gratitude!

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It is easy to be grateful for certain things. When everything is going just peachy, when everyone is doing what we expect from them, basically when life is running smoothly it is easier to give thanks. The trick , however can be in the ability to be grateful when it is a little more challenging to see the goodness.

For example,
I was stuck in traffic the other day, feeling aggravated about the hold up and inconvenience when suddenly I reminded myself to be thankful that I was not the one in the car accident that caused the traffic.
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There are numerous time in life that people "push our buttons" and make our lives difficult and although I know this may be hard to imagine, how would it be to give thanks to those people for teaching us patience? How might we approach others if we kept an "attitude of gratitude" for the lessons we learn along the way? Other situations to think about:

----Giving thanks for the cranky teenagers who live with us who remind us that getting older is not so bad (who would want to be a teen again? not me!)

----Gratitude to people who don't do things "up to our standards" to remind us that maybe sometimes "good enough" is (dare I say it?) actually good enough.

----Being grateful for the good times and the not so good times because in life, the bitter sweet is what we often get.

And finally, giving thanks to the challenge in life whether it be at work, our personal lives or even in school. Often we don't know how much strength we have inside until we are stretched far beyond where we thought we could go....
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And speaking of giving thanks--
thank you to all of you for reading my quick tips! As I share my "tips" and connect with people through my workshops and coaching, I am truly living my purpose. I am very grateful for this...

Enjoy your day off, the turkey and all of the folks gathered around your dinner table...

Happy thanksgiving!!

OCTOBER QUICK TIP!!! We all know this but maybe we need a reminder....

Letting It Go

As some of you know, I lost my mind :) and decided to go back to school to pursue a Master's in Counseling. While I am enjoying the challenge, I am begining to feel a little stretched thin. I am sure for most of you reading this, you are juggling multiple responsibilities as well. The kids, work responsibilites, the relatives, keeping the house clean---the list goes on and on.

So, as I finished homework this morning after making breakfast before going to work, I reached for the vacuum with 5 minutes to spare before heading out the door, and I decided something's gotta go. I put the vacuum down. OK. I picked it back up again. But I decided to do a quick run through instead of a deep clean. (baby steps!) Then I decided to ask one of the kids to help me. Maybe tomorrow I will walk away from the dishes...

My point is this---We must let it go. Something. Anything. Maybe it is the idea that we need to do everything ourselves. Maybe it is to let go of the ideal that everything needs to be perfect. That we need to be perfect. Maybe it's to let go of caring so much about appearances. Maybe it is just to let go of driving ouselves crazy with self imposed standards of how it is "suppose" to be. What can we learn by looking around and being grateful for where we are right now? And what can we let go of to get us further along the path of where we long to be?

Wow! What a journey it has been lately....Since my last post in August, I have changed my job and enrolled in graduate studies! I am working in mental helath and I am really enjoying the challenge and the many rewards that this field offers. I have also decided to pursue a Master's in Counseling to enhance my work as a speaker, coach and case worker. Being back at school is strange at times (sitting at little desks, taking notes and writing papers again! ugh :) but I think I am ready to take it on. I am already learning so many new skills and it is helping me to see the world from a new perspecive. I guess that is what I was looking for back in August. I was a feeling a little restless and I had an urge to shake it up a bit. I wasn't sure what was the best direction to move in so I just picked one. Sometimes, we all need to gain a new perspective. To be brave. To jump right in it. To change it up. And when we finally take the leap, to have faith that it will all work out.
Enjoy the journey...
Courtney Kelley