Archived Newsletters

Welcome! I am honoured you have chosen to receive this newsletter. This month, I chose self care as the theme. With Valentine's Day we often think of what we can do for others we love, and sometimes forget about taking care of ourselves.

My hope is you are taking care of yourself in all areas- physically, spiritually, emotionally and mentally. If not, I hope this article inspires you to action! Enjoy!

The Bible says, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." How do you love yourself, do you take care of yourself as you do your loved ones? Do you feed yourself good food; get enough sleep, enough water, exercise? Breathe? (Often we get so worked up with the stress and busyness of our lives we breathe shallowly, rather than belly breathing- taking the time for some few deep breaths will release the stressors of the moment and help us get centred). Do you provide yourself with self-care like bubble baths, or massages, or offer yourself compassion and support? Do you do things to nurture yourself physically, spiritually, mentally and emotionally? Do you keep your batteries charged; fill yourself with premium fuel, so you run optimally? Many of us take better care of our cars than ourselves!

I fell into the trap for many years of caring for others at the expense of myself. As I became more stressed out, I let my self-care go- I didn't take the time to exercise, eat properly or take care of myself, and I sank into a depression. Once I started recovering, I realized how important self care was, and now it is a priority for me. If I want to be successful in helping others live a rich, full life, I need to model that myself. The more I take care of me, the more alive and joyful I am, and the more I am there for others.

"If you aren't good at loving yourself, you will have a difficult time loving anyone, since you'll resent the time and energy you give another person that you aren't even giving to yourself, " says relationship specialist Barbara De Angelis. Does this sound like you? Give yourself a gift, starting today. Make this the year to love yourself. Take a moment now to think and visualize what you can do differently, what areas of your life you need to show yourself love in, write down what you will do, and do it! Give yourself the time and energy you so richly deserve. When you are filled up, you have so much more to give others. Make this the year to fill yourself up with love!

Cheryl Richardson, a Coach known for her Lifestyle Makeovers on Oprah, developed a list of rules for self-care at work. She says if you follow these rules for 30 days you will increase your work productivity, as well as have more time for your life. (If you are employed by someone else, please talk to your employer first and tell them what you want to do and how it can be beneficial to both of you- they may want to join in!)
"New Rules for the 21st Century Business" (Life Makeovers, pp167-168)

1. I take lunch everyday and do something unrelated to work. For example, I get out of the office and take a walk, listen to a relaxation tape, write in a journal, or visit with a friend.
2. I work reasonable hours. On most days, I arrive at _____ and leave by _____.
3. I schedule "breathing room" every day so I can step back, re-evaluate my priorities and be sure that I am working on what really matters.
4. I do whatever it takes to create a healthy work environment. I keep my office free of clutter and if necessary, I use a clean air filter, full spectrum lighting, and I keep a reserve of bottled water nearby.
5. I have an "Absolute Yes" list for work (a 3" x 5" index card with my top five priorities listed in order of importance) and I refer to it often.
6. I train myself to consistently look for ways to delegate work in order to empower others so I can honour my Absolute Yes list.
7. I hire only highly competent, talented people to support my efforts.
8. I ask family and friends to honour my work time by eliminating non-essential personal calls and interruptions.
9. I coordinate my work schedule to remove distractions and interruptions. For example, I design blocks of uninterrupted, focused time and I only check voicemail and e-mail twice a day (keep breathing on this one).
10. I stop taking on more than I can handle. When asked to take on a project, I check to be sure that I can complete the assignment without suffering or sacrificing my self-care.

My challenge to you is to do things differently both personally and professionally this month. Make your self- care a priority. Professionally, pick one or two of Cheryl's self-care rules or make up your own, and put them into action. Personally, what are one or two things you can do to take better care of yourself physically, spiritually, emotionally and/or mentally this month?

February- heart month- make this the month- and year- to be more loving to yourself.

Above all, enjoy the journey!

This section is reserved for tips or successes you would like to share. What worked well for you? How did you do it? Or what's an awesome website you've been to, or book you've read? A quote that's inspired you to action, or changed your thinking and your life? Or brought a smile to your face? Thanks to Jay Syrette for sharing this picture with us. The caption is "What matters most is how you see yourself".

This reminds me of Stephen Covey's Habit 1: Be Proactive from "7 Habits of Highly Effective People". He says, "If the only vision we have of ourselves comes from the social mirror- from the current social paradigm and from the opinions, perceptions, and paradigms of the people around us- our view of ourselves is like the reflection in the crazy mirror room at the carnival"...These visions are disjointed and out of proportion. They are often more projections than reflections, projecting the concerns and character weaknesses of people giving the input rather than accurately reflecting what we are". The good news is- we always have a choice! We can choose at any time, using our uniquely human traits of self-awareness, imagination, conscience and independent will, to change what we see in the mirror. What do you choose to see- the limiting picture your beliefs have painted you with, or the incredible miracle of life that you truly are?

Jay also shared a quote that was profound to her: "It is never too late to be what you might have been." -George Eliot. In 1859, 39 year old Mary Ann Evans defied Victorian mores (only men wrote books) and under the pseudonym of George Eliot, published the first of seven novels. As Jay says, "Wow!"

Thanks Jay and thanks Davena Tarkanen for the beautiful picture on the Quote of the Day. If you have something inspiring to share in this newsletter, or an inspiring picture you would like to share on the daily quotes, please email them to me. (If it's a picture for the daily quote, the right side of the picture needs to be quite blank, so the quote can be seen. I use a template, so the writing always is in the same space).

»

I am Norma Reid, a Certified Executive Coach, and the owner of From Dreams to Reality Success Coaching. My dream is to help you fulfill your professional and personal dreams and live the rich, full life you are meant to! It's not too late to catch my New Year's special- ***Buy one month of coaching and get the second month free!*** Offer expires February 29, 2004. Call for a sample coaching session to see if coaching is for you. What a wonderful self-care gift to give yourself!
Please forward this newsletter or the Quote of the Day to anyone you think would enjoy them. They are opt- in, so only those who subscribe will receive them.

Create an incredible day!

Coaching fees... »