Full Moon on Blue Monday

According to the evening news, today, January 22nd, is Blue Monday. I had never heard of Blue Monday before. What is it? What does it mean? It is a day that experts say is the "unhappiest" day of the year. This is based on a mathematical calculation taking into account the time since Christmas and incoming shopping bills, winter weather, and failed New Year's resolutions. Add these factors altogether and you end up with Blue Monday. As I drove to pick up our car from the mechanic tonight (adding to our piling bills and blueness I guess), our daughter watched the full moon, asking: "why is the moon following us?" She continued, "I've been watching it and first it was on that side and now it is over there. It's following us, how does it do that?" What a wonderful perspective.

How does a following full moon affect us on Blue Monday? I love full moons. For me they represent hope, wonder and potential. Perhaps the Blue Monday is all perspective too. The weather can get you down. I love the snow and am disappointed at each snow storm that doesn't materialize. I dream of snow pack, shovelling, cross country skiing and sledding. If anything it's the weather that's too nice that doesn't fit the season that is depressing, at least for me, in January. Come March, I'm with the rest of you, dreaming of beaches.

Mounting bills, well, that is cause for blueness, or for better planning. Taking control of money, planning can alleviate this blueness. What a great time of year to start planning for next year's holidays. Of course, pay the current bills, and then set up a savings plan. I'm doing this too. We need to be saving each month for next year. This year we set up a budget and a plan. It's part of the coaching program.

New Year's Resolutions are a favorite. We each have such good intentions at the New Year of making this year different. There are some real keys to creating success and follow through with New Year's resolutions and goals. My favorites are:

• Write your goals down
• Post them where you can see them, keep track of your actions.
• Tell people about your goals and vision -- it deepens your commitment AND can build alliances with other resources that will help you.
• Hire a coach to help you stay focused on your plan
• Find a friend or buddy that you can talk to each week about what you are doing.
• Write down your action plan and your accomplishments (big and small).
• Develop a story of vision of the end of the year having accomplished all of your goals. Include as many details as you can. Read it at least weekly.

Blue Monday, with a Full Moon doesn't have to be the most unhappy day of the year. Each of us has the ability to take charge of our lives, our actions and even our perspectives. I say our perspectives because we can't change the weather but we can create our perspective to one of positive optimism.

Create your own healthy Monday.

All the best,

Donna

Why Coaching?

As a business and life coach I say of course coaching. But just like you, not that long ago I was new to the idea of coaching. I thought -- why coaching? What I have discovered in my own coaching work with clients and with my coaches is this: coaching works. Clients gain different things from coaching. To distill it down to a few areas they would be: focus, clarity, accelerated accomplishment and follow-through.

I always thought of coaches as baseball coaches or football coaches. Since I don't play sports, what could I possibly work on with a coach and would it really make a difference? The goals that clients work on with coaches run the gamut:

• starting a new business
• business development
• marketing strategies
• achieving life/work balance
• career transition
• achieving something extraordinary

Focus: Coaching assists in gaining focus. We each gain that for ourselves especially around New Year's. A time of year that we take the time to reflect and plan. Having focus involves those two elements, reflection and planning. But with New Year's resolutions they often fall aside as the year goes along. The coach assists to maintain the focus over time. In initial coaching sessions that is much of what is discussed.

Clarity: Clarity actually comes first I think. It comes back to the vision and what that compelling vision is for your life or business or both. I find that vision is at the core of my work all the time. Organizations and individuals need a clear and compelling vision. Creating that vision is at the core of clarity -- where are you trying to go? Vision gives you the map, the destination. Visions can be enhanced and modified along the way, they aren't written in stone. It's yours.

Accelerated Accomplishment: Coaching keeps the you, the client, on track so that projects are accomplished, faster and more efficiently than before. Many call this accountability. Having someone to check in with helps to maintain that focus and follow-through that you need in order to accomplish what you set out to.
Continuous action planning with your coach provides you a framework for moving goals forward quickly.

The results of the coaching relationship are many. Achievement, success, better productivity, and usually feeling good about yourself, which is a great bonus! Lives change with coaching.
Coaches offer coaching in so many different ways. How do you figure out the right path for you? Listen to your inner wisdom and pick the approach that will work best for you.

Individual Coaching -- many coaches offer individual coaching via telephone or in person. Coaching by phone is easy and convenient as it saves time for both the client and the coach. Relationships are built effectively via the phone. Tools such as email also enhance the coaching experience allowing the coach to easily send the client tools they can use for things such as goal planning.

Group Coaching -- some coaches offer group coaching. Groups also meet either in person or via phone using a conference call line. Groups are typically small: 6-8 people.

Individual vs. group -- I love both. I am in a group and have an individual coach. I also love working with groups and individuals. Groups offer the benefit of the members of the group: shared experience; shared learning. You receive input and feedback from the group. Individual coaching provides you with more focused attention and coaching.

Meeting Regularly via phone or in person -- 3 meetings a month is ideal. The progress is accelerated and results happen more quickly.

Monthly meetings-- if they are very targeted and focused will also produce results.

Coaching Gym -- this is a really unique approach. With the coaching gym you get a member's pass and have access to your coach during specified hours one day per week. Calls are typically 15 minutes or less.

Why coaching? Coaching is about action, taking intentional action. A good coach helps you to tap into your own inner coach and produce the results that you want. As the client, you do the work and are in charge of creating your own results.

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Compass Rose Consulting can provide each of these coaching approaches. In addition, we offer a proven coaching curriculum that provides an extraordinary framework for working together.

For more information about CRC's coaching services schedule your complimentary conditional consult today. Seriously, the complimentary session is great. You will receive real coaching for a full half hour. Complete our self coaching form to get started. Because our time is valuable we only schedule 4 complimentary sessions each week. Schedule yours today.

What a week!

I'm sure you've had those weeks where your plans just didn't go as you had thought. Well, that's how my week was last week. Sunday, my five year old had a fever. Tylenol helped but by 8:45 PM we realized we needed ibuprofen as well. A quick search of friends and we found a store still open late on Sunday and we got her fever down from 104.5 to 102. That started the week of illness. Earlier on Sunday we decided that our kitchen needed a facelift. You see, our house is on the market and just hasn't sold. We loved the teal blue cabinets, but the flooring has always been horrid. The new floor we picked out didn't match the teal, so we (I) decided we should paint the cupboards. My partner and husband hasn't been feeling welll either. So, Sunday night I took all the doors off the cupboards. As we spread them all over the basement I remembered what a big job this really was. But I was commited to doing it quickly. Our three year old thought the new look was great. From childproof to totally open and available. She went from cupboard to cupboard taking things out. It's all getting messier!

By late Monday afternoon I had the first coat of Antique White on the kitchen cupboards and my partner Ken had the doors done. Three more coats to go.

We still had a sick little girl and both kids home

At the same time, I'm trying to run my business. Looking back over the week I realized that in the midst of painting and playing with sick kids I got a lot done. Here's my list:

1. Finished a new e-book called "Getting Noticed on the Web" You can pick up your copy here! I think it came out to 30 pages and is filled with info.
2. It became the foundation of a presentation I had to do on Tuesday night at a networking meeting. I printed out the first 6 pages for folks and talked with my co-presenter Monday night to figure out our plan.
3. I did a presentation at a networking meeting. I really didn't have time to plan out my talk, so using the report I winged it! I couldn't tell if everyone there was in awe of what I was saying or didn't understand a word of what I was talking about. BUT, after the meeting, two people came up and said I need to work with you!! Ok, so even though the week isn't going as planned I've nailed my weekly goal of two new clients!
4. I had two business meetings, one via phone with a new client and one at my house with kids on the couch.
5. I got my newsletter out, which has been behind! I'll post the article here too!
6. I scheduled my next tele-seminar -- complimentary one that is for this Thursday at noon, it's based on my new e-book. So, everyone will get the e-book, and today I'm working on the workbook or notesheet. Do you want to come? You can email me as my registration form isn't working and I will personally send you the call in info.
7. I read hundreds of emails.
8. I deleted hundreds of emails.
9. I attended a conference for non profit leaders and made some great new contacts.
10. And, now I am finally getting to my blog!

The week came to a close today, when everyone went back to school and to work. The kitchen is painted. the cupboards sparkle. The new floor, well, it's not totally done yet. Ken cut his finger cutting tiles and had to go Saturday night for stitches. We should have it done by Thursday or Friday. And, we even showed the house on Sunday, disaster that it was.

Looking back, it wasn't a bad week after all. Much got accomplished and business did get done.

Staying positive, staying focused and family being the priority, all contributed to the success of the week.

What lessons does your life teach you? I learn the most from myself, and reflection on what happened.

Spring is here! And we are loving that.

All the best,

Donna