News from Nancy ~ Change Is In The Air!

Change is in the air ... can you feel it? It's everywhere! It's that time of year when summer is ending, the weather is changing, the trees are turning, the days are growing shorter, school has started, the holidays are approaching and an important election is right around the corner. Whew! Change is everywhere we turn, and it's a darn good thing!

Why? Because unlimited possibilities and opportunities are the result of change! Doesn't it feel good to wake up in the morning and know that today can be different than yesterday? That today, with a little effort, you can have more of what you want to experience or less of what you've had enough of? When thinking of new possibilities, doesn't it create a feeling of hopefulness that with a fresh focus and one new action step you really can generate positive energy and create optimistic outcomes? And yet whether you are taking baby steps or fully immersed in change you are still ...YOU ... but a newer, broader version, going beyond your current tendencies and leaning into life, purposefully!

Change is all around me these days in so many areas of my life so it was no surprise the other morning when I deliberately said yes to mixing up my routine. I am a coach after all, and I believe in practicing what I promote. I started my day by driving to a different Starbucks than I usually frequent. While sitting in the drive-thru lane, instead of walking in, I noticed that fall was around the corner as evidenced by a tree that was changing colors in a beautifully symmetrical way; literally half the tree was an awe-inspiring red while the other half was still summer's vibrant green.

Looking at that tree made me think about how nature embraces change without resistance; trusting the process of life and the implicit promise that life is always conspiring on our behalf for our greater good. There is no attachment to the fear of change, just the belief that it is the natural ebb and flow, the inhalation and the exhalation of this journey called life. Through change there is the ability to become even more beautiful than one's current state. It was a rich invitation to breathe, release my resistance to change and to trust and embrace a joyful outcome I envision and want for myself and the action I take around it.

So how about you? How do you know if there is something you really want to change? Let your feelings be your guide! Our feelings are our most powerful and helpful link to our relationship with ourselves, others and the world around us and they are the true indicators of what is working or not working in our lives. By being in tune with how you feel and knowing you desire change, the process can look like this:

Make a decision to be willing to change, giving yourself permission to make YOU a priority
Do a little housekeeping and look at what no longer suits you in a specific area of your life
Gently release your need for what you no longer want
Reach for a thought, an idea, that creates a positive feeling around what you do want
Set goals (and write them down!) that feel good and are aligned with what you see yourself doing, being or having
Ask, then listen to your intuition and develop an action plan that is divinely inspired
Be daring, get in motion taking steps (baby steps are perfectly acceptable!) that move you toward your new desired outcome.

Don't allow your past to determine your future. You can change all things for the better when you change yourself for the better.

With less than 100 days left in 2008, what change did you commit to or promise yourself over 265 days ago that you've yet to deliver or honor? You know, that one little niggling something that you've allowed to fly under you radar screen (not really!) for most of this year. What is that one action that you knew would make you feel better about yourself and bring you more into alignment with who you authentically are?

Well, it's time to challenge yourself to get into action and accomplish one of your incomplete goals. Enlist a friend, spouse, co-worker or coach to assist you with one small change that you can initiate today at home, at work, in a relationship or with your finances. Turn up the heat and choose one step that you are willing to take today that will be the catalyst to changing you, your energy, focus and outcome tomorrow. One step leads to two, two to three and before you know it you are standing as a leader in your own life and as a shining example to those around you. You're worth every bit of the effort!

Change is about saying "yes!" to what you really do want. Change is about believing in and trusting yourself. Change is about challenging yourself to be more and bring more of you to life. Change is about lighting yourself up and letting those around you benefit from the glorious glow. Change is about imprinting positive emotions on the world around you and making it a better place. Change is about standing in your own integrity and making a difference, inside and out. If you want to change your life, you have to change your life! Be courageous, say "yes!" to the baby steps of change because life favors the bold!