Momentum

“There is power of momentum. You enjoy a small accomplishment, and the positive satisfaction it gives you sets you up for an even bigger and better accomplishment, which further increases the positive momentum.

Small things can make a big difference, because even the small things define the direction of your momentum. When you're thankful and joyous about the modest successes, they begin 
to build into bigger successes.

Because negative momentum can be just as strong, it often takes a lot of effort to make even the smallest move in a positive direction. Yet it is worth all the effort, because even with 
that small move you have effectively turned the power of momentum in your favor.

Once momentum is moving in your direction, you begin to get more and more positive results from each effort. Start small, get momentum working for you, and there's no limit to how 
far you can go.”  

--Ralph Marston

Appreciation

"The deepest principle of human nature is the craving to be appreciated." --William James

Who have you appreciated today? What do you appreciate in your life?

Coaching vs. Therapy

Yesterday, someone asked me what the difference was between coaching and therapy. A lot of people think that coaching is very similar to therapy or counseling, and it's true that many counselors and therapists are adding coaching skills to support their clients. There is a primary difference, though, and here it is:

Coaching always looks forward, to the future, to getting what the client wants.

Therapy and counseling frequently look backward, to what went wrong in the past, to analysis.

In coaching, I believe my clients are whole, absolutely all right, and already has all the resources they need to succeed. My job is to help them unlock their genius. It's not about "fixing" problems, or blaming and shaming, it's about moving forward to meet goals. A client in crisis (say, any kind of mental health issues or some other trauma) may not benefit from coaching. I am the first to say that I cannot help someone in crisis, and I do refer them to other professionals, as appropriate.

Counseling and therapy tend to look more at what is not whole, what might be broken, or what is in crisis. This is important, and it's complementary to coaching for some clients. Coaching is a powerful method for getting what you want, but it is no replacement for therapy or counseling when these are needed.

A Blessing

A friend sent this to me today. It's called St. Theresa's Prayer, but it reads to me more like a blessing. Saint Theresa is known as the Saint of the Little Ways; she believed in doing the little things in life well and with great love. No matter what flavor of your faith, the sentiments here are loving and amazing. I'd like to share it because it is my wish for everyone.

"May today there be peace within. May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith in yourself and others. May you use the gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content with yourself just the way you are. Let this knowledge settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise, and love. It is there for each and every one of us."

Questions/Answers

I am quite excited to begin 2009 by committing to some more coaching education! I am in a telecourse now to complete my basic coach training and lead to certification from the International Coach Federation. My instructor kicked off the first class with the following quotation, which is from Rainer Maria Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet, Letter #4:

"Have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don't search for the answers, which would not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answers."

Dare to Be Stupid

My husband has finally made a New Year's resolution. He usually doesn't make them. It is this: He resolved to follow through on his "stupid ideas" this year. 

Now, I have to laugh a bit, but he has a valid point here. I'd like to quote my good friend Mur Lafferty when she heard about this resolution. She says (and I quote at length, with her permission):

"How many times have you thought of something and then cast it aside thinking, 'Nah, that's stupid.' Were you really thinking you didn't want to spend the time to see if it would be cool? Were you afraid stupid = failure? And how many things that are awesome (or at the very least successful) can you see, if written down on paper, looked stupid to begin with?

• Let's make a video game where you roll around a sticky ball and pick stuff up (Katamari Damacy)
  
• Let's make [insert any popular reality TV show here]
  
• Let's scream at people who have different opinions than we do (any political talking head show)
  
• Let's bottle water and sell it.
  

"I don't like resolutions, but I do like this philosophy. I wonder how it fits for long-term projects--stupid ideas--that I've had. 'I should start a new magazine/podcast/audio drama/novel!' But it's a concept I just might consider doing. What is worse: one success, or ten successes and three failures?"

Let's all try to be a little bit stupid this year, and see what happens.

Revolutions

It's a new year! Time to shine in 2009. I think it's time for some resolutions... and if we all keep them, we'll have a revolution.

My resolutions for 2009 mainly have to do with reading. I'm a big fan of fiction, and I'm a member of a feminist fiction book group. Last year, my resolution was to read all of the book group selections, as in 2007 I had only managed to read about half of them. I did quite well in 2008, and I think I read all of them. So I'm going to continue for 2009, plus I've been reading lots more novels lately. 

The turn of a new year--the promise of a clean slate--is a great time for taking stock of things and figuring out where one would like improvement.

What resolutions did you make? What are you excited about this year?