14-A Share Gratitude with Your Children

Hello,
Last week we explored gratitude and everything we are thankful to have in our lives.  This week, for those of you that are parents, share the lesson of gratitude with your children.  You may already have some great things in place to teach gratitude to your children, but if not, find your unique way to let them know how wonderful things are.  There is always something to be positive and appreciative about and teaching them this is a great lesson. 

My family has a ritual/tradition that we do some nights when we are having dinner together.  We take turns going around the table and we get to share with everyone else something we love about them.  We don't do this every night, but when we do, my kids really love it.  They sometimes ask "can we do that thing where we say I love it about you"?  They even include all of our pets when it is their turn to say what they love.  They not only get to leave feeling good about what was said about them, they also get to learn how it feels to say something nice about someone else.  Some nights this changes into something great that we loved about our day, but the message is the same.  We can find gratitude for the things around us especially if we are taught to look for it.

For topic 14-B on Friday, I would love to be able to share some of your great ideas about how you teach/show your children gratitude.  Please email me with your best ideas and I will include some of your responses in my Friday blog post.  Email me at coachgaye@redefinebalance.com by Thursday to be included in the post.

Questions:
Either journal about these questions or spend some time thinking about your answers.
- How do you share gratitude with your family?
- Is there a way you can incorporate more of this into your life?
- What does gratitude look like to your children?
- What benefits will your children get by being more gracious?
- Do you think being gracious is important for them to understand?
- If so, what can you do to teach this to them?

Fieldwork:
Find your family's perfect way to share gratitude with your children.  What will you do to show them the power of being positive and being gracious for everything they have in life?  Remember to email me some of your great ideas!  coachgaye@redefinebalance.com

Quote: Sir John Templeton-How wonderful would it be if we could help our children and grandchildren to learn thanksgiving at an early age. Thanksgiving opens the doors. It changes a child's personalitiy. A child is resentful, negative- or thankful. Thankful children want to give, they radiate happiness, they draw people.


Enjoy the journey!
Coach Gaye

13B- Gratitude

The upcoming topic will be Sharing Gratitude with our Children.  Join me tomorrow to read more!

The goal this week is to make gratitude part of your everyday life.  By being gracious and appreciative of everything you have, you open yourself up to invite more into your life.  If you begin to practice showing gratitude on a regular basis, you can go from saying things like "I am grateful for my family" to "I am grateful for the joy my children bring" or "I love it when my husband makes me laugh".  The more you practice showing gratitude, the more you will be able to drill down to the core of what makes you gracious.  You will be able to define what you are truly thankful for and this will allow you to appreciate life even more.

There are many different ways to show gratitude.  You can be gracious for external things, you can be gracious for the things others bring to your life and you can be gracious to yourself for the things you do well.  Try to be conscious of all of these things when you are showing gratitude.  Don't leave anyone or anything out.  If you are thankful for the blue sky and butterflies, put them on your list.  If you are thankful for the smile a stranger gave you or the help a friend offered, put that on your list.  If you are proud of the way  you handled your children or if you did a great job at work, put that on your list.  The list is yours alone, so own it!

The bonus challenge this week is to let others know when you are gracious for the things they do.  Make a point to let others know when you are grateful and see how it makes them and you feel.  If we all share positive thoughts with others, everyone will benefit!

Questions:
Either journal about these questions or spend some time thinking about your answers.
- What are you grateful for?
- How often do you think about the things that are positive in your life?
- How can you do this even more?
- Can you take a few moments each day to think of the things you are grateful for?
- How does it feel when you show gratitude?
- How does it feel when others show gratitude to you?
- How can you share or spread that feeling?

Fieldwork:
Every night before bed or each morning when you wake up, take a few minutes to think through the things you are grateful for.  Make this a daily habit and notice the changes!

Enjoy the journey!
Coach Gaye

13A- Gratitude

I hope you are enjoying the postings so far.  After looking more in depth at what we are attracting(last weeks topic), the next step is to look at gratitude.  Gratitude is defined as a feeling of thankfulness or appreciation.  When we are working on attracting the things we want in life, it is very important to be gracious for the things we have and for the things we attract.  I know sometimes it is hard to be thankful when we are going through a particularly hard time, but if we are able to look at the good we have, then the bad may not seem quite so challenging.

I am in a book club and our book this month was 102 Minutes: The Untold Story of the Fight to Survive Inside the Twin Towers.  After reading this, I am truly thankful to be alive and to have so many wonderful friends and family in my life.  I can't imagine what it would have been like to have family or friends that were part of this and I can't begin to fathom what it would have been like to be inside the buildings when they collapsed.  Reading this book really put my "struggles" in perspective for me.  I have an opportunity to participate in life and so many people lost that on September 11.

Another thing happened recently that gave me additional perspective on what I have to be gracious for.  In NC, quite a few tornados came through our state and there was so much damage and there were innocent lives lost.  The tornado came close to my neighborhood and it has really affected my community.  To see and hear what others have lost has really hit home.  Some of the stories are heart wrenching.  Not being in the storms path is something I am very thankful for but my heart goes out to those that were affected.

No matter how bad things seems, try to find something to be gracious about.  Most of the time, it could be worse, right? 

Questions:
Either journal about the questions or spend some time thinking about your answers.
- Do you show gratitude in your everyday life?
- What are you gracious or thankful for?
- What do you have in your life that you feel good about?
- What is something good or positive happening for you right now?
- How can you be more gracious?

Fieldwork:
Write down the things you are grateful for.  When you are struggling with something, bring out your list as a reminder of the good in your life!

Topic 13 Bonus Challenge:
Don't just think about what you are grateful for this week. If you are grateful for something that involves others, tell them. Share your gratitude!

Quote: Melody Beattie- Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.

  

I feel truly blessed for all I have in my life and I hope you feel the same about your life!  Enjoy the journey!
Coach Gaye

12B- Attraction

The upcoming topic is Gratitude.  Join me tomorrow to see more!

I hope you all are having a good "Good Friday"!  If you have worked on 12A, you can take attraction a step further and really put out there what you want to attract into your life.  Keep telling yourself you have the things you want and visualize yourself already having those things.  Act as if they are already yours.  For example, if you want to lose weight, don't keep saying" I need to lose weight" or "I need to diet".  If you do, that will become your truth.  Instead see yourself at the perfect weight and say "I am perfect at xxx pounds".  By changing your thoughts, you allow yourself to attract everything you want in life.

Remember, you are getting what you think you deserve.  What are you attracting?  This is probably what you feel you deserve or it is the message you keep sending yourself.  Have you ever said "I am having such a bad day" and the day only gets worse?  Send out positive thoughts and energy and this is what you will get back.  Send out negative thoughts and energy and this is what you will get back.  The basic law of physics says "like attracts like" so really be conscious of what you are putting out there and what you are attracting.  Open yourself up and visualize your perfect life and start attracting that life to you!

Questions:
Either journal about these questions or spend some time thinking through each answer.
- What do you think about having in your life?
- What would it take to get you there?
- What negative messages are holding you back?
- What positive things do you need to tell yourself?
- How can you change your messaging to attract the things you want?
- Do you believe you can have everything you want?
- If so, create it!
- If not, why?

Fieldwork:  12B- Don't just dream about the life you want. Act on those dreams and create this for yourself. Dream it, believe it, create it and be gracious for all you have!

Quote: Brian Tracy- You are a living magnet. What you attract into your life is in harmony with your dominant thoughts.  

Enjoy the journey!
Coach Gaye

12A- Attraction

Hello,

I hope you are enjoying the blog and I hope it is impacting your life in a positive way.  If you are able to find time each week to answer the questions and do the fieldwork, I hope it is helping you make beneficial changes in  your life.  I know it is easy to get bogged down by life, but I hope you are able to take some time just for you each week!

This week, we are going to look at the Law of Attraction.  Basically the premise is that what you put out there is what you get back.  If you say to yourself "I have no money" then you end up having no money.  If you say to yourself "I need to lose weight" then you attract that as well.  If  you can find a positive way to phrase things, that is what you will bring to yourself.  Instead of saying "I have no money" say "I have all of the money I need".  Look at life like you already have all of the things you want and that is what you will attract.  When we open ourselves up, it is amazing what we can bring into our lives.

If you have worked on some of the past topics, you are hopefully on the track to being more positive and seeing the good in yourself and others.  This takes that a step further and opens you up to attract the great and wonderful things you are ready for.  We have way more control over our lives than we think.  See  yourself the way you want to be and know that is who you are.  Believe in it and that is what you will attract into your life.

Questions:
Either journal about the questions or spend some time thinking about each answer.
- What do you want in your life?
- What do you want to attract to you?
- Can you visualize yourself already having the life you want?
- Can you word things to yourself in a positive way so you open yourself up to attract the good?
- How can you focus on the positive and leave the negative behind?
- What life do you want?
- What do you need to do to have that life?

Fieldwork:
Begin to see yourself as already having the things you want to attract into your life.  Allow yourself to attract those things.  You have to know you deserve them to be able to attract them!

Bonus Challenge 12: Create a list of positive affirmations to tell yourself each morning or night. Use present tense, say it in a positive way and be very short and specific. Believe this is your life! For example say: I have a wonderful marriage or I love my life or I have a beautiful house. You can go into more detail if you would like.
Enjoy the journey!
Coach Gaye

11B- Success Groups

This weeks topic will be the Law of Attraction.  Join me tomorrow to read more!

Hello everyone,
I know some of you may be wondering how a Success Group can work for you.  If  you are a stay at home Mom in need of "Mommy Support", or if you are starting your own business and in need of "Small Business Support", or you are a working Mom/Dad in need of "Balancing Support", you could benefit from a group of like minded individuals that help you on that path.  No matter what your needs are, I am sure there are people around you with similar needs.  With a Success Group, each member brings their own unique challenges and solutions to the group and you get focused attention on what you are going through with tons of great input.  Everyone needs support and what a great way to get it!  

If you are interested in starting a Success Group, you need to find the best members for the goals you want to accomplish.  Ask if they are interested in joining and see if they know anyone they think may be a good addition.  By having others reach out too, you are expanding your network and hopefully adding some additional knowledge to the group.  Remember to keep it to 4-6 people so everyone always feels like they are an integral part of the group and everyone has a chance to share and grow. 

Things to consider when starting the group are where and when you will meet.  How long each meeting will be and how much time you want to allow for each person to speak.  You will need to decide how formal you want the group.  Do you want a moderator/timekeeper that keeps the meeting on track?  You and your group can create anything you need this to be.  Decide on your group goals and cater the group to meet those goals.  One main goal should be to get more accomplished than you each would on your own.  Make sure to check in regularly to make sure all of your individual needs are being met and to make sure everyone is getting the benefits of the group environment.  If not, work together as a group to create a solution.  Really look at each individuals goals and work together to help each other accomplish those goals!

Questions:
Either journal about these questions or spend some time thinking about your answers.
- Would a Success Group work for you?
- What do you want the groups focus to be?
- How many people do you want in your group?
- How will you find members?
- When is the best time to meet?
- How long will your meetings be?
- What format will work best for your group?
- What are the goals of the group? 
- What are your individual goals?

Fieldwork:
If you have done the fieldwork earlier in the week and done the bonus challenge, you are ready to start a Success Group of your own.  Be ready to share your short and long term goals, any recent successes you have had, any big challenges you face, what you want from the group, and what you bring to the group.  Also consider any other information you think will help the group best support you.  Make a list of this and ask each member to do this as well.  I want each of you to have all of the success you need so you have your perfect life and your perfect balance!

If you have questions about how a Success Group can work for you, email me and I will be glad to help!  Also, remember you can email me any coaching questions you have and I will support you along that path as well!
coachgaye@redefinebalance.com
Enjoy the journey! 
Coach Gaye

11A- Success Group

Thursday blog posts are moving to Fridays!  See you tomorrow.

Hi everyone,

Many of you may have seen the topic Success Group and wondered what it is.  A Success Group is a group comprised of 4-6 people that meet regularly to support each other, provide each other motivation and to hold each other accountable.  It is a great place to work through struggles or to get insight to help with ideas you may have.  The group will also be great at helping you with personal goals, family goals or goals for your business.  Depending on what your needs are, find a group of like minded people who want results similar to yours.  The goal of the group can be focused on your unique needs and wants and you can cater the groups structure to best fit the group involved.

A Success Group is beneficial because it allows you to work on your individual goals and it allows you to focus on what is most important to you, with the groups support.  By creating the group dynamic, it opens you up to challenges you may not have taken on your own.  You may step outside of your comfort zone and challenge yourself and accomplish goals at a faster rate than if you were alone.  It can really provide great benefits!   

I recently started a Success Group of 5 women that are in circumstances similar to mine.  We are all "stay at home Moms" working on something outside of the home too.  I really wanted a group of goal oriented individuals that also have a strong sense of family.  Because we come from similar backgrounds, we are able to be more understanding of time constraints and we can be more flexible with the structure we have put in place.  Since we are such a new group, we are building the group to be what is perfect for each of our needs.  It is great to have a sounding board for new ideas and it is great to get input from others.  Of course, as a coach, I really love the accountability we offer each other too.  At each meeting, we set goals for ourselves and when we meet again, we check in on our progress.   I am really looking forward to the goals we will be able to reach with the positive energy and support of the group!
 
Starting the group has been so exciting.  The positive feedback and sharing is such a great experience.  As we make progress in the group, I will continue to share.  Also, on Thursday, I will go more in detail about setting up your own Success Group.

Questions:
Either journal about these questions or spend some time thinking about your answers.
- Could you accomplish more if you had a group to hold you accountable?
- What types of goals are you interested in setting for yourself?
- Who would make up your ideal group of 4-6 people?
- What skill sets would the individuals have?
- What skills do you have to offer others?
- Would a Success Group be beneficial to you?

Fieldwork:
Think about your ideal Success Group.  What would it look like?  Who would be in it?  What would you help each other with?

Topic 11 Bonus Challenge:
Start your own Success Group and see where it takes you! Check back Thursday for more tips.

Quote: Margaret Mead- Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed people can chage the world. Indeed. It is the only thing that ever has.

Enjoy the journey!
Coach Gaye