New Year, New Opportunities

Happy New Year!  Yes, we’re a couple of days into 2011 already; however, given that I’ve been on a techy-holiday — that is, I took a two-week hiatus from techy things over the christmas break — this is the first opportunity I’m having to wish you the best of the new year, officially.  I trust that 2011 has gotten off to a good start for you and yours.  And if it hasn’t gotten off to quite the start that you’d envisioned, what I know for sure is that the year as a whole need not be a write-off.  After all, it’s a new year — there are new opportunities just waiting to be snatched up.

Part of my objective for 2011 is to increase my visibility in the world of leadership, particularly the world of women’s leadership.  I know that I have much to offer this demographic, and I intend to do that on a grander scale in the next 12 months.  Already, I have more speaking engagements booked in the coming months than I’ve historically had at this time of year.  I’ve got programs in development that will be rolled out sooner rather than later.  And I’ve got writings that will be made available as well.  These are a sampling of the opportunities that I am taking advantage of, opportunities for myself that I am currently aware of.  I know that other opportunities will arise as I move along.  I also know that I must commit to staying alert for the presence of opportunities as they make themselves known.

What opportunities are currently available to you?  Sometimes, the way to find out is to clarify what you’re wanting to create in the first place.  Once you know what you’re headed for, the opportunities seem to magically appear.  Trust me, I’ve seen it happen repeatedly.  So, if you’re wanting 2011 to be different for you in any way, shape or form, get clear on what specific difference you’re aiming for.  Then, keep your eyes peeled for opportunities; take advantage of those and be willing to create others.  The opportunities are there for the taking.  Seize them — and make 2011 your best year yet.

Watcha Thinkin’ About?

Thoughts create our reality.  Everywhere I look, this idea seems to be gaining more popularity.  From my perspective, that’s a good thing, because I believe that this is more than a novel idea; I believe that the statement “thoughts create our reality” is a fact.  Some may disagree, and that’s okay (I guess).  And yet, the more I read, the more I look around and observe, the more I witness evidence of thoughts being made manifest in some way, shape or form.

So it has me really getting curious on a moment-to-moment basis:  what am I thinking about?  What are my predominant thoughts?  Where do I put my focus?  And then, even as I get curious about my own thoughts, I’m curious about the thoughts that others are holding.  I mean, there are such diverse circumstances in our world at large, and even in my own small community.  What thoughts are people holding, consciously or not?

I guess that’s what I’m starting to realize more and more: oftentimes, the thoughts that dominate one’s existence tend to be unconscious in nature.  Which, in consideration of the fact that “thoughts create our reality”, seems self-defeating to a certain extent.  It’s like abdicating creative control over your life, isn’t it?  If  your thoughts create your reality, doesn’t it seem wise to be consciously choosing the thoughts you hold?

Bottom-line:  it’s time to get deliberate about thinking.  It’s time to invoke some discipline, not in a harsh, dictatorial sort of way, but in a defined, deliberate, self-aware sort of way.  Because when you choose your thoughts, you choose your reality.  So, what reality are you going for?

Have You Figured Out Your Reality – Are You Sure?

“The reality is…”  Years ago, when I was first engaged in my training to be a professional life coach, I learned in a pretty dramatic way how the use of this simple and fairly pervasive statement was a sure-fire way to keep me from creating life as I actually want it.  The phrase itself is brilliantly seductive; I mean, who wants to argue with reality?  Well, in the interest of serving what I believe to be my purpose, I’m going to give it a valiant effort.

How often do you find yourself using the phrase, “The reality is…”?  And what’s it generally in reference to?  My guess is that, whenever you start to talk about what the reality is in your life, you’re trying to convince yourself or someone around you about why you cannot do something.  Let me give you an example:

• “I know you’d like to play basketball, but the reality is you’re only 5 feet tall — that’s just not tall enough.”

If you look at this statement, I’m sure you can hear the energy of holding someone from the thing they really want, because “reality” can’t allow for it to be true.  But here’s the thing — facts and reality are two different things. There are the facts as they exist, and then there’s reality as it gets created. When one starts to present reality (the created product) as fact — which may or may not be the same — we get the circumstance which requires us to “separate interpretations”, to use a coaching phrase.  Let’s look more closely at the example above:

So, we’ve got two facts — a desire to play basketball, and a definitive height.  Two separate facts.  And while it’s generally true that height is an advantage in basketball — many players I see are definitely tall by anyone’s standards — the fact of being only 5 feet tall does NOT mean that one is automatically unable to play basketball.  In fact, I know plenty of short people who play basketball quite well. So the reality isn’t so much that this person can’t play basketball, but that they are 5 feet tall — that’s the reality.  Can you hear the difference between how facts and reality get presented?

So let me ask you, what’s the “reality” that you’re hiding behind?  What “reality” are you allowing to keep you from the life you want?  Understand, I am not asking you to deny facts as they exist.  You may well have a real health condition, a financial circumstance, or a family context that seems to run counter to the dreams you’re holding.  But seeming and being aren’t necessarily the same thing.  That’s what I’m really wanting you to get this month.

You actually get to create you’re reality; so are you creating one that serves you or one that holds you back?  And how attached are you to staying held back?  Because here’s the kicker:  when it’s reality that’s holding you back, there’s no point in fighting for what you want, right?  This, my friends, is the reason you so often create a reality that goes against what you want — you get to abdicate responsibility for creating life on your terms when reality is working against you.  What I’m asking you to consider is that the “reality” you’ve created may not be entirely right.  There may actually be another reality that can get created out of the facts of your life.

Bottom-line:  you get to create your own reality, every moment of every day.  In light of this, I assert that you are best-served by creating a reality that supports your vision for your life rather than one which has you up against a wall.  So, what reality will you create out of the facts of your life?