Lynne's Three Life Lessons for the New Year

 

 

Kent Julian, a fabulous speaker and friend, recently asked a question on his blog;  What would you say to help people live into their bigger story?   I love this question!  It recognizes that we are all living a story for others whether we mean to or not.  Secondly, it acknowledges that we have a large measure of control over that story.  Of course, we can't engineer all the circumstances of our lives.  We don't choose our families and we certainly don't have control over other's choices.  However, we can determine to a large extent our reaction to the circumstances of our lives.  Here are my three life lessons that steer my course and I believe help me live into my bigger life story.

Live Life on Purpose 

So often people let life happen rather than making it happen.  This has been the greatest lesson I've learned.  My early years were spent wishing, waiting and wondering if I'd be able to accomplish my dreams.  I thought that the stars had to align, the universe had to  be generous and the right people had to wander into my life.  I gave away my power to anyone and everyone.  I didn't set goals and I certainly didn't create an action plan to make my dreams reality.  I had an exhaustive to-do-list and I was very busy but without any clear direction.  Living life intentionally has changed my focus and my life.

Look for the Opportunity in Everything 

Living intentionally doesn't mean that I don't face opposition, failure and tragic circumstances.  Of course my life, like yours, has events and relationships that are discouraging and disappointing.  Sometimes I can make changes that improve the situation.  Sometimes I can't.  But I can say that if I look hard enough there is always an opportunity in the midst of it all.  Maybe it means that I change my perspective.  Maybe it means that I learn something that I can share with someone else who is going through a similar concern.  Always it means that I have grown and changed in someway for the better.

Learn Something New Everyday

There have been times in my life when I tended to cling to the same routine, the same habits and the same environment.  My goal was to feel comfortable and keep the status quo.  Being open to learning means being open to change.  It means moving beyond your comfort zone into new territory.  This is true in simple things as well as in the bigger events in my life.  Here's a recent example of my being resistant to change and learning.  I've driven the same way to work for 20+ years.  It involves traveling down a winding, dark two way road before the sun is up.  It is fine early in the school year, but once we move into the winter months and the weather involves rain, fog and even occasionally, snow the drive in the dark is treacherous.  Nevertheless I persisted in traveling the same road believing that to change and drive on the expressway to  my work would be even worse.  This year when my arrival time was made even earlier, I finally decided to try it one day and see if the drive was better.  Guess what?  It is a huge improvement!!  Why did it take me so long to try something that was so simple?  It was an unwillingness to learn and try something new.  Learning something new is an ongoing challenge but I continue to look for ways to learn and change even though it means doing things that are uncomfortable.

What about you?  What advice would you give to others to help them live their bigger life story?

Want to spend an entire day learning to live intentionally, finding your calling and making it a reality?  Join us for the Called Woman Conference-The Reinvention Convention 2014:   www.acalledwoman.com

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Attend a Conference--Nurture Your Talents!!

Last May as soon as school was out, I took off for Tennessee to attend Dan Miller's Coaching With Excellence Conference.  You can see me with this rowdy, encouraging wonderful group above.  It was a great conference which you can read about here.

As I was driving back from the conference I saw this sign:

I just had to stop. I met Linda, who has a delightful story and great homegrown produce.  While I shopped, I listened to her story.  For a number of years she worked for a hotel chain, which was a good job but not her passion.  Gardening is her passion. During that time, her daughter was in a terrible accident and spent some time in a coma. Luckily she recovered and is currently doing very well. However, that incident created a crisis of focus in her own life. Linda decided it was "her time" and she quit her job to do what she loves. She has been gardening and selling the produce for a couple of years and has never looked back. In fact when I pulled up to check out her vegetable stand she was working with the 30+ tomatoes that she planted.  You can check out her Willow Creek Gardens facebook page here:  https://www.facebook.com/WillowCreekGardens

One of the gardening tips she shared with me was how she used coffee grounds and egg shells to fertilize her tomato plants. She said she collected the grounds and shells, crushed them in her blender and then spread it around her plants. It was a great tip and I’ve started doing that myself around my tomatoes. 

I got to thinking about her story and how she had reinvented her lifestyle. She left a safe comfortable job to do what she really loved doing. Much like she fertilized her tomatoes, she had decided to nurture her spirit with work that mattered. Not only did I get some delicious strawberries, strawberry preserves and honey, I got an important life lesson as well. We all need to take time to ask ourselves, "Am I nurturing my talents?" "Am I working in my strengths?" "Is it my time to shine?"


One of the ways we can nurture our talents is through attending conferences, reading books, networking with others and attending webinars.  Thanks to the internet there are more opportunities than anyone can take advantage of and you don't have to spend a fortune to enrich your life.  I am always planning the next conference, webinar or book that I will read to improve my writing and speaking ability.  The next conference that I will be attending is Kent Julian and Andy Traub's Write It Forward Conference.  You can sign up for Dan Miller's Conferences or Kent Julian's conferences through my affiliate links on this page:  Upcoming Conferences

What about you?  Are you taking time for yourself and following your passion? Are you enriching and nurturing yourself on a regular basis?

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Five Coaching Concepts from Dan Miller's Coaching with Excellence Conference

This week I spent two glorious days with my friend, Kim Wiggins at Dan Miller's Coaching With Excellence Conference in Franklin Tennessee.  It was like returning home after a long absence. I have been a huge fan of Dan's ever since I learned about him through Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. Attending his Write to the Bank Conference four years ago jumpstarted my writing journey and inspired me to write four books (one of which he wrote a forward to). Through his social media site, 48days.net I have met life long friends and learned how to do everything from start a blog to market a book. I've even created a group just for women who, like me, want to discover their passion and move forward in making it a reality.  That led to putting on the Called Woman Conference which has become an annual event.  Dan Miller with his encouraging, optimistic but realistic approach to life has been a huge factor in shaping my life journey. I consider him my greatest mentor.

Learning to Be a Coach

The Coaching With Excellence Conference was designed to help the 38 participants learn about the business of setting up a coaching practice.  Everyone had a different focus; there were leadership coaches, career coaches, physical fitness coaches and  happiness coaches just to name a few.  My focus is on coaching woman through transitional points in their lives.

Dan's whole family participates in the conference, even his grandchildren make an appearance.  In the picture above, you can see his daughter, Ashley, teaching us about the DISC personality profile.

In typical Miller style, there were lots of opportunities to network and connect with everyone.  Lunch and dinner were delicious social affairs on the porch, catered by local restaurants.  Conversations could be heard all around as participants from around the country outlined their dreams and goals for making a difference in the world.  It was a caring, compassionate group focused on profit and service, two things that often seem at odds with each other but that Dan blends beautifully into one.

Speaker and coach Kent Julian arrived after lunch on Friday to talk about his journey and to inspire everyone.  Kent has turned a passion for mentoring youth into an extremely successful speaking and coaching business.  He offers a terrific boot camp for aspiring speakers that I have attended twice.

Five Important Concepts I Learned at the Conference

It would be impossible to  summarize the information learned in two days in just a few points.  I'm still processing and digesting it myself.  However, here are a few key concepts:

• Coaching differs from counseling in that coaching is active rather than empathic listening with a focus on where the client wants to  be rather than where they have been.
• The number one thing that people want is not "the answer" but rather someone who actively listens, clarifies and guides them along the journey.  Thanks to Dallas Demmitt from Arizona, fellow coaching participant, for great illustrations of this!
• You don't have to have everything figured out in your own life to help someone else figure out where they are going.  You do have to be actively searching and working a plan however.  
• Identify your area of specialty--don't be a generalist.  The more you can narrow down who your target audience is and where your sweet spot of expertise is the better.
• Connection and building relationships is key to any business but especially the coaching business, this is after all a business about people not data.  Get to know other coaches, get involved in organizations, attend conferences, network, network, network.

Are you a woman who is interested in coaching for a transitional period in your life?  Let's connect!  You can read about my coaching packages here.  Coaching packages

Interested in attending Dan's Conferences?  Sign up through my affiliate links here:  Dan Miller's Conferences

Interested in attending Kent Julian's Speakers' Bootcamp?  Sign up through my affiliate link here:

Speak It Forward Bootcamp

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How I Lost...And Found My Voice At Kent Julian's Speaker's Bootcamp

Me and Kent Julian

It was really a treat to be back for the second year in a row at Kent Julian's Speaker's Bootcamp this week! I attended last year and was overwhelmed with the practical insight and inside information he provides to all speaker wannabees.  He speaks from experience having made his name known in both the youth and the education market over the last five or so years.  If you haven't heard his inspirational and energizing message for youth or educators, then you are really missing something. 

Here's the irony of the seminar, I've been fighting a cold for the last week or so and woke up the first morning of the conference with laryngitis.  What are the chances of attending a speaker bootcamp and not being able to speak?  I kept thinking it would get better but unfortunately it did not.  I'm back home tonight and still can't speak above a whisper.

Wondering how I found my voice?  Well I must admit it was my inner voice that I was referring to.  Part of the conference involved spending some time reflecting on our own personal message or voice. By sharing his own story of being an 'at risk kid', Kent helped all of us see that we each have something unique that we can share that will resonate with others. Of course, it helps if you have a real voice to share that story with.  Maybe a little hot tea will help... 

Great Resources For Devloping Your Speaking Ability

 While visiting my sister and mom in California, I've had some extra reading time which is quite a luxury!  The 5 hour flight here for instance allowed me to catch up on a lot of reading that I was behind on.  One of the books that I've been reading is Secrets of Dynamic Communication: Preparing and Delivering Powerful Speeches
 by Ken Davis.  The book was recommended to me by my good friend and mentor,  Kent Julian, who is an amazing speaker himself.  The book outlines EXACTLY how to lay out a powerful speech, whether you are giving a sermon, a lesson, a keynote or a workshop.  It is an amazing resource and I would recommend it to anyone who speaks in any capacity.






Kent by the way is preparing for his annual Speak It Forward Bootcamp in October.  What a fabulous experience it is!  I attended last year and I can't tell you all the fantastic information I learned!  If you have ANY interest in developing yourself as a speaker, this is the place to go and the man to see.  He doesn't just tell you how to be a good speaker, he tells you all the inside details of developing and managing a speaking business.  You will love it! There is a special going on where you can sign up with a friend and SAVE big time.  Here's my advice:  DO IT!  I did and it has changed my life!


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