Happiness

In this time of SO many worrisome things going on, it is easy to see the doom and gloom. It is easy to only see the problems, the dysfunction, the insanity of things changing in ways unimaginable. Our brains are so quick to go to what is wrong.

Can we train our brains to also see what is good, right, beautiful?

Rather than either/or, can it be BOTH???

How do we hold the hard things AND find life's gifts, joys, sweetness and magical moments? This isn't about putting our heads in the sand and ignoring what's going on. This is about staying in touch AND allowing the beauty of small details to be filling us up.

How to explore this?

🔷 Gratitude. That powerful focus on things we often overlook.

"Where focus goes, energy flows" "Gratitude is one of the strongest and most transformative states of being. It shifts your perspective from lack to abundance and allows you to focus on the good in your life, which in turn puts more goodness into your reality" - Jen Sincero

🔷Appreciation. How powerful it is. Feeling unappreciated? Try offering OTHERS messages of appreciation in large and small ways and see the boomarang effect coming back to you. It's a perfect example of being the change you want to see. (It has to be real to be potent. People know if you are being smarmy with this). Amazing how resentment often settles down when you appreciate someone.

🔷 Happiness. There is an author (sorry, can't recall) who offers the idea that in order to live a full/happy life, there needs to be 3 aspects:

Fun/Play
Flow. (those things that make you lose track of time)
Meaningful interactions with others.

(My skeptical brain thinks there are several other parts missing here, but love this idea.)

What fills each category for me?

Fun: Lovely bike rides near and far. Playing with my pups,. Pickleball (I JUST started this after resisting it for oh so long. Surprise! I laughed and had a blast, meeting new people. Yes, I DID have sore butt muscles after.) Dinners here with old friends who stay overnight and tell funny stories over coffee. Playgrounds with grandchildren. So much more....

Flow: Playing piano (such a sweet thing to come back to after many years away. With this keyboard, I can put on headphones after Gary is early to bed and pour myself out into the keys!). Yoga. Meditation. Sudoku puzzles. Jigsaw puzzles. Reading a good book. Journalling.

Meaningful Interactions: For me, this coaching is a gift:

🔹Clients who are finding freedom from alcohol after our coaching seesions.

🔹Midwives doing 1:1 coaching who say to me: "Its so easy to talk with you about this because I don't have to explain myself! You KNOW what I'm talking about".

🔹Holding space in a group of women who respond: "I love this group! All the different perspectives help me see things in different ways and also know we are all in this together".

🔹 Networking with colleagues, learning about community resources to share ideas. etc. etc.

What a gift to be part of women finding connection to their true voices, clearing out the cobwebs of a hungover head, and seeing the truth that we are doing our own work AND the connection to others makes the road lighter.

The sky is blue in Vermont. The weather a bit warmer.

I'm heading out on a bike ride with Gary. Who knows how long we will have with eachother before this MDS disease expands. For today, for now, it is lovely to ride together. That is enough. For now.

Hope you find ways to fill your cup during these tricky times.

Reach out any time.

Coaching is a gift to yourself that leaves ripple effects for you and all those around you.

❤️

Martha