Physician heal thyself

We've all heard the phrase "physician heal thyself" and it is front and center in my life right now. A few days ago I started feeling out of sorts. Nothing major, but living in a bit of a mental twirl. Then, we found out about a great educational opportunity for our kids which, of course, requires some research and planning on our part. It also has to be done before Christmas. Then we had 2 deaths in our extended families. And in the midst of all of this my leg started hurting terribly, feeling like a pinched nerve. Aaaarrrgghhhh!

This morning, my friend and business partner called me. After asking how I was doing and what my plans were for attending the funeral, then listening to my babbling response, she starts out with the dreaded words, "I don't know how to say this so I'm just going to say it..." You know you won't like what's coming after an opening like that!

After she reminded me of all the things I help people do; make a decision, do what's best for you and your family rather than what other people expect, work from a place of what's right not out of a sense of guilt, ..... She encouraged me to do that for myself - immediately.

I got off the phone, talked to my daughter about our plans, himmed & hawed, and finally made a difficult decision. Amazingly I felt good. My whole body relaxed and the stress drained away. A little while later, miracle of miracles, I could walk all around the house, even do a little happy dance, on the same leg that wouldn't bear my weight when I woke up.

It's all fascinating and I share this story with you as a reminder that we all need a little help sometimes, and we all get off track. So cut yourself some slack, make the tough choices and get back on track. You'll feel world's better when you do.

ReclaimU Tidbits addressed this from a holiday perspective too. You can read about "Getting It All Done" by clicking here.

A Christmas Sprint

Christmas isn’t a sprint to the finish line. It is called a season because it isn’t all about one day. The greatest joy comes in taking time to prepare for Christmas day in a way that makes things better. This is your chance to spend time with those you love, put thought and love into buying and giving presents, spread joy and happiness.

Don’t get me wrong, I realize this time of year is certainly busy. The question is: Is it meaningful, or is it just busy? Are you spending time creating memories and spreading joy, or are you doing a bunch of stuff because you just think it has to be done? Are you living the meaning of Christmas or racing to finish line so that on Christmas you can lie around, totally exhausted and spent, wondering why you do all this?

Take a deep breath. Look at your expectations and your to do list. Choose the things that really matter, the things that make a difference, and focus on those. See what happens.

I wish you a joy filled holiday season, and a very merry Christmas day.

For specific strategies and tools to use in creating a Heart Filled Holiday check out the articles on my website.

Christmas Countdown

Do you remember being a kid and counting down the days til Christmas? The shear joy, and so much excitement you thought you would explode - that was great! I want you to have the same feelings now, as an adult, even in the midst of all the things you want to accomplish before Christmas arrives.

I’ve posted some holiday articles on my website so take a peak and get some tips for enjoying your Christmas countdown.

Skipping the list

Sometimes it's just plain hard to be entrepreneur, wife, mom and friend! So much to do and sometimes I get caught in the same traps you do, like not sticking to the schedule I made, or not making a plan for my day.

Today is one of those days. So much amazing stuff happening in my businesses, and so much stuff that I'm excited about working on, that it's hard to keep focused and on track. I made a plan, checked it with my business partner and still went running off on tangents. Ah well, today's work is over and tomorrow is another day - and I promise to stick to the to do list!

Now it's "Mom time" so I'm going to go eat dinner. Then, this evening, I get to go build Gingerbread houses with my daughter.

Change begins with possibilities

I watched the movie Freedom Writers this weekend. It's based on a true story of one teacher and the impact she had on a class at Woodrow Wilson High in Long Beach CA. What I realized when I watched this is that she empowered her students to change their own lives, and she started by changing their perspective.

We can only create change for ourselves when we see possibilities. If we are stuck in a box, and can't see anything new or different, we don't have anything to base our dreams on. But when we take the top off the box and peek out, we have the chance to see something new. We have the chance to see what could be.

I encourage you to take an honest look at your life. If there is an aspect you are unhappy with and you say, "that's just the way it is", realize that you are probably in a box. Take the lid off and look around, see what else is possible.

Sometimes we can't take the lid off by ourselves and we need to ask for help. So look around and ask someone to help you. Perhaps it's a person who is living the life you want. Maybe you can ask them to share their perspective with you. Perhaps it's a trusted friend, counselor or mentor. Ask them to share their thoughts with you. Ask what possibilities they see. Then believe that what they share with you could be possible for you.

In the movie, the kids in Erin's classroom were almost all in gangs. Their reality, their world was based on race, protecting your own, and hoping you live through the day. Erin helped them see they are more alike than different. She helped them see that their world is not unique, and that there are other possibilities . . . if you are willing to change.

What's possible for you?

Your Holiday Wake

What’s in your holiday wake? As you go through your days and make all your holiday preparations, what are you leaving in your wake? Do you walk away from a cashier leaving a smile on her face? Did you help that grandmother find the toy she was looking for to give her grandchild? Is your spouse excited about coming home to work with you on preparations?

Take a look at what you are leaving behind you as you go through your days this holiday season. It’s a great way to take stock of our real attitude toward the holidays, and a chance to make some adjustments if we need to.

For specific strategies and tools to use in creating a Heart Filled Holiday check out the articles on my website.

A Christmas Calendar

Yesterday was C day in our house. This is the day we all sit down with our December calendars and plan out our holiday season.

It's an interesting time because it helps me take stock of what I really want. When I'm placing all the traditional preparations, the Christmas parties and the events on my calendar, I get to take this moment and choose what I want my Christmas to look like. This is the time where I really shape my holiday by deciding what I'm willing to spend time on, and what is not going to make it onto my calendar.

Sometimes I have to make tought choices, this year is one of those years. But I also find out exactly when I get to do the things I love. Now I can look forward to my favorite activities and that brings joy to my day.

For specific strategies and tools to use in creating a Heart Filled Holiday check out the articles on my website.

Lessons from the beach - the landscape of change

I went walking on the beach with my husband and our dog. Things are starting to look really different out there; the sand is frozen, most of the birds have left and snow is collecting in the beach grass. Yet, as things on the shore change, the waves keep rolling in. I can still see the sand getting churned up a few feet out from shore.

The whole landscape reminds me of what change is like in our lives. We choose to create change and we expect an instantaneous difference, like flipping a switch. Most of the time what we get is a changing landscape. There are areas of our life that will change in the way they look or function, like the frozen sand. Our priorities will change and things will remain undone and pile up, as the snow piles up in the beach sand. And yet, there is our core, the most important things in our life, the essential parts of us, that remain unchanged as the great lake remains unchanged.

It is a fascinating process to watch change happening on the beach and in my own life. Take a few minutes and appreciate the nuances and the landscape of change in your own life.

A Fowler Christmas

Cool things happening here. My family has put together some fun stuff on the holidays. You can check it all out on our website and you can peek in on our Christmas in the making at our blog. See you there!

25 Days til Christmas

Here we are - 25 days until Christmas! Okay, how did that statement make you feel? Did you get excited? Did you start to stress out or panic?

If it just made you feel good and get excited that Christmas is coming then great! Enjoy your holiday season.

If you started to panic or get stressed out, then read on.

I remember when my husband and I were first married. The first couple Christmases were interesting. We would wait for my annual blow-up, then set up a plan, make some choices and enjoy ourselves. Now I start with the plan and the choices, skip the blow-up, and enjoy my entire holiday season.

One of the keys I've found to keeping the fun in Christmas is making some key choices. Sometimes these are obvious and fairly easy. Sometimes they are difficult, and not a lot of fun. But making the choices gets the painful moment out of the way so that you can enjoy yourself. When you don't choose, you just live in the pain through the whole season, and you don't spread much Christmas cheer on your way.

Last year we were about 2 weeks from Christmas and I started getting stressed. I stopped and thought about what was on my mental to-do list and realized that accomplishing everything on that list meant I would be running every waking moment. I would not have time to cuddle up and read a book with my kids. I would rush through baking cookies and working on presents with my family, and that wasn't okay with me. For me, a huge part of the joy in Christmas is preparing for it with my family. So I just looked at my list, chose a couple of the least important things, and cut them out.

I only sent about a half dozen Christmas cards to a few people who I really wanted to have one, and I didn't put up every Christmas decoration known to man. I didn't clean as much as I usuallly do before putting up the decorations (I do get a little nuts about that and my family was relieved to skip some of it.) and we chose not to put lights on our huge pine tree.

What happened? We had more time to spend on the things that really matter to us. The kids got to help with all the outdoor lights (the pine tree is over 25 feet tall so Dad usually ends up doing those) and the people who didn't get Christmas cards survived. We had more fun, spread more joy to others, and stayed focused on the real meaning of Christmas.

Make this December a joyful and memorable time.

For specific strategies and tools to use in creating a Heart Filled Holiday check out the articles on my website.