Reflections on love, life and living big

January 13 is an important day in my life — it is the anniversary of the day I met the man who I would later marry and build a life with.

Each year when this date rolls around, I look back and reflect.

I try and wrap my head around the span of time that has passed. I reflect. I am filled with appreciation for the serendipity that brought us together and feel awe for how we built our lives — jointly and as individuals — over time.

And each year at this time I seek deeper insights.

I aim for keener perspective as I take the long view. These gifts take time to emerge, and they are so valuable.

This year I feel gratitude, even more notably than in the past, for everything that has happened in my life and our lives together.

I am grateful for the ups and downs, the joys as well as the challenges that have tested us, and so many lessons learned. 

I feel an even clearer appreciation for how precious life is, and for my connection to the present and all that is possible. When I anchor into what is possible now I feel enormous inspiration.

I am more focused than ever to finding, and creating, joy each day.

I am focused on pursuing what matters most to me — nurturing precious relationships, focusing on work that will provide me with true satisfaction and will have the greatest impact, caring for the wellbeing of my body and my spirit, and setting aside sacred time to paint and write.

This focus on the present enables me to honor the yearning in my heart as I commit to courageously taking action that is aligned with those desires.

What matters most to you?

You, too, may want to set aside time to look back and take a long view. Then ask what your heart really wants.

You may hear shouts or whispers. Listen. Pay attention and honor what you hear. The signal your heart sends you is important! Trust it. Use it as a compass. It cannot steer you wrong.

When you follow what your heart desires, even taking very small steps at first will be meaningful. Each action matters. Subtle shifts add up. 

So go for it! 

And keep going!

This is how you create a life that is fulfilling — how you Live Big! — one small commitment and action at a time.

Begin today!

As the idiom goes, there’s no time like the present to do something that is meaningful.

Imagine yourself next year at this time, looking back and taking stock of how following your heart put you on a path to greater satisfaction.

I would love to hear what your heart desires, and how you are honoring those desires.

(And, of course, I would be happy to talk to you about how have coaching support might help you connect deeply to your heart and begin to bring the change into your life that your heart asks for. Click here to make a date.)

Empower your well-being

Attendees of the conference wrote the ways they wanted to Live Big, and adorned small trees on the book table

It was a great pleasure (and a lot of fun!), to speak at the R.I.S.E. Women’s Leadership Conference in Providence Rhode Island last week.

1200 great women attended the dynamic 1-day conference to network, focus on personal development, and hear speakers and panelists address themes on gender and racial inequity, how to navigate challenging dynamics in the workplace, cultivating resilience, and ways to lead a healthy, happy life when work and life feel overwhelming.

In addition to my contributions to the panel discussion on how to live your best life (to a standing-room-only audience!) it was a joy to be among the speakers who are authors. It was great to sign books for attendees.

I met amazing women all day and engaged in terrific conversations from beginning to end.

Looking for great ideas to live happier?

Consider adopting some of the ideas that were shared in the panel discussion I was a part of:

⭐ Self-care is not a nice-to-have, it is crucial. As fellow-panelist and health coach Kristen Reed suggested, you can “snack” on small 5-minute or 10-minute practices during the day when it is not possible to devote 30 or 60 minutes to taking care of your health. Pause and breathe, get up, move and stretch for a few minutes, have some healthy snacks on hand. These count!

⭐ Leslie Ford, of Mom’s Hierarchy of Needs, shared that her favorite way to start the day is to go out for a run, but that sometimes she settles for a 10-minute jog on a treadmill mid-morning. For her, some running each day is non-negotiable so she always finds a way. And, she is bringing programs into companies to help employers better support working moms.

⭐ Panel moderator Precious Clouthier said that she recently blocked off Fridays on her calendar. While she sometimes chooses to add an appointment on a Friday, making that a day she is intentional about, and that feels spacious, has helped her to run her coaching business and raise her twin 6-year-old boys without feeling frazzled.

⭐ Among the ideas I shared, were to start your day with some type of morning practice that will ground you, set you up with the most positive frame of mind possible, and support you to focus with clear intention throughout your day. (You can check out what I wrote on this topic last spring.)

I also led the audience in practicing some easy ways to take momentary pauses in the midst of a hectic day, with box breathing and “butterfly tapping.” These are excellent ways to come back to the present when you feel frazzled and calm your nervous system when you you feel anxious. (I’d be glad to guide you through these techniques. Email me and we can hop on a quick call.)

And, of course, I spoke about how to bring a creative mindset to everything you do. You will have more agency in your life and be able to move ahead in the best ways, no matter what comes at you.

I also spoke about how activating creative pursuits (of any kind that you enjoy) will connect you to your heart and open up your spirit.

When you aim to add delight by doing something expressive and fun (even if it's to simply doodle for a few minutes with colored pens), even the toughest days are brighter.

Adopt one small idea now

It can feel exciting to consider making lots of changes at once. The truth is that choosing a single idea to be conscious of is the way to test and find a practice that will have a meaningful impact for you. Then you can stick with it.

Why not choose one now and see how it works for you? Then return to other ideas that sparked your interest and give another a try. It won’t be long before you find a small set of new approaches that are ideal for you.

Here are some photos captured at the wonderful day at the R.I.S.E. Women’s Leadership Conference. The little trees with lights were filled with cards where women wrote down how they want to live big.