Synthesis Coaching

Break Your Ruts of Routine with a Detour Adventure. It's easy!

 

My Monthly Tarot landed in my inbox as usual, at the first of the month.

I opened the email to find a picture of the Hanged Man along with the following request: "This month look at The Hanged Man. At first the person in this image may appear uncomfortable, but upon further inspection we realize that he is just giving into gravity and going with the flow".

I was shaken up realizing that I had made a huge assumption, and like many assumptions totally wrong.

I saw The Hanged Man hanging upside down from a tree and assumed he was fighting his situation and anxious, worrying when and how he would be free. (If you take a close look at the image you'll see that he is not fighting...in fact he seems to be just hanging out).

But here is what shook me up into a revelation: The Hanged Man is a symbolic tool asking me to look from a different perspective—like upside down :).

Try it out.

The result is that you end up looking at the same situation but with fresh eyes. You may discover new elements that you never saw before, even if nothing changes.

Or better yet, try a solution that I opt for in for my own life, and one that I advise my clients—to embark on a Detour Adventure.

What's a Detour Adventure? It's a way to shake yourself out of the unconscious state we all fall into and see your world again with fresh eyes. You know what I mean....how many times have you driven to work and had no memory of the drive? It's totally normal because we all go on auto-pilot after a while and  develop ruts in our routines.

So, how do you dive into a Detour Adventure?

• Take another route to your yoga class.
• Shop at a different grocery store in a different town.
• Read a book about a subject you know nothing about.
• Vary your routine—treat yourself to a break in your day by walking the dog at lunch instead of as part of your morning routine.
• Learn a new skill new like sailing, pottery, knitting, scuba diving.
• If you've been wanting to call a friend who you have talked to in a while....be spontaneous and just pick up the phone and do it.

Here's your Detour Adventure challenge: Try out a detour a let me know what you discovered after you re-discovered your life with fresh eyes! And keep an eye out for my next post where I share what to do with all your new discoveries!

To your adventures to transformation!

 

 

 

 

 

Are You Always Moving and Going Too Fast? Try a Soul Adventure

I had an amazing session with Carrie, (not her real name), a few weeks ago. She's bright and a super-charged high achiever.

She was talking SO fast and jumping from topic to topic SO fast,that I could hardly keep up with her....and I was just listening.

Whew!

What we discovered together was that after all this excitement, accomplishment, and activity  she really needed to change gears and s-l-o-w down.

Sounds great when we tell ourselves that...but if you've ever tried it you know that actually doing it can be a whole lot harder. We kind of get "addicted" to the pace and the constant multi-tasking - we can even experience a high from it. Yet, unless we unplug and regroup we can actually drain ourselves and end up with nothing left to give.

My solution to Carrie was to go on a Soul Adventure. 

Give yourself permission to indulge and do those activities that feed your soul. For you that might mean taking a hot bath, reading a novel instead of a business book, chatting with an old friend on the phone. It matters less what you do and more about how you feel.

Carrie decided that she would use her Soul Adventure by pretending that she was on vacation and could be spontaneous for one week. She found herself listening to her own body and taking a nap in the middle of the day and browsing around in her favorite gallery BEFORE she went grocery shopping and paid bills online.

I know....I can hear you saying, "but I'm not on vacation and have a job to go to and a family to take care of." Yes, I know that's true but I'm asking you to carve out time for yourself to fill yourself up again and recharge.

Want some hands on help to embark on your own Soul Adventure? Reach out to me....you'll not only leave your session inspired but with a fistful of resources and tools to spark your journey.

To your adventures to transformation!™

 

 

 

Frustrated and Overwhelmed Not Reaching Goals? Just Say "NO"

All of us women business owners (myself included) are chock-full of ideas and projects that we want to implement.

Yet, I often find many of the women business owners that I coach frustrated and overwhelmed.

What gives?

What I often find hiding in plain sight right under our nose is that as women we often have too many commitments and have spread ourselves too thin.

Lindsey Pollak wrote a terrific post about this issue that I'd love to share with you.

Lindsey took the "just say no" challenge and trimmed down her appointment and commitments. Do you know what she was surprised to discover?

No One Actually Noticed!

So, this month I'm following LIndsey's lead and making it a NO-vember...so if you have a request for me this NO-vember, the answer will probably be a firm but polite "no".

 

Are You Cut Out to be an Entrepreneur? Take This Skill Assesment Quiz

I just ADORE More Magazine because it's all about reinvention and change.

Today they featured an assessment quiz to help determine how you'd stack up as an entrepreneur.

Check it out here.

Grab this Discount — You Smart Woman!

On October 22nd I will have the privilege of addressing the women attending the Reinvention Convention 2010 — a day long program put on by Anne Garland Enterprises at Water’s Edge Resort and Spa in Westbrook, CT.

The topic of this year's conference is "Taking a Chance on Change" and my talk will be titled, When Your Life Goes to Hell in a Handbasket — Why Not Change Your Adventure to a Transformation?

As we all know, change seems to be the keyword of the day. Oftentimes multiple challenges hit us all at once — whether it be health issues with family members, stressful job changes, issues with teenagers...and all right smack in the midst of the upcoming busy holiday season.

Join me to learn three mini-adventures to take when you feel as if you life is going to hell in a handbasket.

If you’d like to hear my presentation and hang out with a lot of great women for a day, you’ve got about 10 days to still qualify for the 'smart woman" early bird discount to save $20. Here’s a link to the the site:

http://www.annegarlandenterprises.com/events.html

I hope to see you there!

It's Your Business to Set Boundaries - Part 2

Summertime — with family coming to visit you "down the shore" from out of town — offers opportunities to practice setting boundaries.

An earlier post was focused on personal boundaries, but since my client is a business owner too, there are also boundaries that she needs to have in place for her business.

What are boundaries?

Boundaries are the commitments you make to yourself. Your boundaries are yours alone and need to fit you *with no apologies *.

Some business boundaries are:

• Communicate Clearly. Let your clients know when you will be vacationing and unable to handle issues. I remember receiving an auto-respond message from Jane Pollak last summer that informed me Jane was on holiday and checking messages less frequently, once in the morning and once at night.
  

• Set and adhere to policies about your work hours. When I asked Lena West to make an upcoming session with her at 9:00 am, she politely reminded me that "we open for business at 10:00 am."

• Setting minimum project or session fees. This can be telling your clients, "my minimum project fee is $" or "session fees range from $ to $$$ depending on services provided".

Terri Lonier at Working Solo talked about business boundaries in a recent newsletter. Click here to read it.

Keep in mind that business relationships, like personal relationships, are based on give and take. From time to time it's OK to break your own rules —  that's part of the adventure of running your own business.

What adventure are you having with setting and maintaining your boundaries — be it in your personal life this summer or in your work/business? 

Make yours an adventure to transformation ™ !

It's Your Business to Set Boundaries - Part 1

My client Heather (not her real name) ended our session by telling me that her sister was coming for a visit with her two kids and their friends.

Heather told me she was a bit worried because her sister wasn't sure exactly when they would leave, and suddenly there would be four teenagers at the house (including her own)......and to top it all off, Heather owns her own business and has a deadline for a new client.

Since we live in Rhode Island by the ocean, this is a common occurence for lots of us each summer.

What should she do? Heather really does want to hang out and have some "girl talk" with her sister at the beach — but she also has to work.

Heather needs to set clear boundaries. But what are boundaries anyway?

Boundaries are the commitments you make to yourself. Your boundaries are yours alone and need to fit you *with no apologies *.

So, here's the "boundary plan" that we came up with:

1. Heather would call her sister and let her know about her new client and deadline. (She had neglected to do this in the initial conversation because she was afraid her sister would get the "wrong idea" and not come to visit.
2. Ask her sister to leave her kid's friends at home.
3. Get a definite date of when her sister would arrive and leave.
4. Go over her work schedule with her sister so that they could devise a plan for when her sister would whisk away the kids and allow Heather to have the needed quiet to concentrate on the needs of her clients.

What summer adventures are you having with family and friends? Where can you practice setting your own boundaries?

Since, women business owners have boundaries that need to be set too, stay tuned cuz I'll be addressing business boundaries too.

To your own adventures to transformation ™ !

Change Your Scenery, Get Unstuck (It's Easy)

I find that shifting my focus — by being away from home and seeing new places — helps me to bring fresh perspectives and ideas to my life and business.

Traveling is one of the best remedies for me when I'm feeling bored, restless, stuck, flat.....or just that "same ol 'same ol'" blues.

Seeing this sculpture on Canyon Road in Santa Fe, NM today gave me reason to smile. It can be that easy!

What adventure are you off having this summer that is transforming your life? What works for you to help you get unstuck and renewed?

How to Avoid Sinking When Too Much is Happening at Once!

Nature has exploded into the lushness and blooming of summer. Hey, that's happening in your life too! Projects that were moving at a snail's pace...or not going at all...have gotten moving. Yikes, but everything is happening all at once!

How do you avoid sinking when too much is happening at once? Since two clients had this same issue during coaching calls over the past week, I thought a blog post would be in order.

Read about how you can avoid sinking from a previous blog post of mine...

Savoring the Fullness of Summer

 

Since Memorial Day is behind us, I feel that summer has started even though it's not officially summer on the calendar.

Summer is an adventure in fullness, ripeness, bounty, and can symbolize our dreams having matured and being realized. Wonderful opportunities can flourish under the bright sunshine if we are open to them.

Greeting this new season with an open heart and holding intentions can make a difference.

Here are 3 intentions to hold in summer:

• Let go and relax:  Yesterday I attended a class where we were asked to hold a question as we moved into guided meditation. I was given the answer to my question but not the exact steps. Yet the visual image relaxed me and I felt myself soften and let go. I knew that my desire would bloom for me. The visualization was incredibly vivid and a wonderful reminder since my tendency is to grip tightly to my desires.
  

• Have fun: Summer seems to invite us to go outside, smell the flowers, and have fun. Do a few more things that you enjoy this summer. Give yourself permission to talk a walk, go for a swim after dinner, lay on your back and watch the stars at night. Laugh, play, smile, and be silly.

• Trust: Oh yeah, that one again. Trust that whatever is happening is for your highest and best. Trust if a project or cherished desire seems to be moving at a snail's pace — or not at all — The Universe's time frame can be quite different than our own.

Whatever adventure you find yourself in this summer — whether riding the rapids, traveling to a new place, getting married, or just sitting in your own backyard — enjoy the lushness of Summer and all it offers to us.

To your own adventures to transformation ™ !