by Carol deLaski | Jun 5, 2013 | Carol deLaski, Confidence, Personal Development, Professional Development, Success
These Boots Are Made for Walking….and that’s just what they’ll do…one of these days these boots are going to walk all over blue.
While strolling through life in my cowgirl boots this past month, many people have considerately asked me about my head and how my recovery from the concussion is going (which I had written about in the recent blog of Trading Ski Boots for Cowgirl Boots). I have been touched by everyone’s concern and wish I could say that I’m fully recovered, just as a toddler will say “all better”, and run back into play after receiving a hug and a kiss. I wish I could do the same. “Not yet, but I’m working on it”, has been my answer.
There are many who struggle with significantly worse injuries and illnesses than mine and my heart goes out to them. It helps me, however, to gain perspective when I see the how others are handling their struggles. It also encourages me to look for the lessons in this experience of healing from a head injury. I notice how my thinking flows up and down, which causes my emotions and energy to do the same.
I have level one thoughts of fear and anxiety. What if I don’t fully recover? What if I never feel completely better? These thoughts swirl on the outskirts of my consciousness like birds circling above my head. I don’t let them land for long; shooing them away because their presence makes me sink into a blue despair.
Instead I move to level two and struggle with thoughts of frustration and impatience; I can’t believe I’m still not 100%. When am I ever going to be over this?! I experience inner conflict when my head and heart want to pursue normal activities and my body is not cooperating. Headaches and fatigue demand that I stop what I want to do, and instead do what I must do to manage my recovery.
Wanting relief from the struggle I seek level three by asking myself what I can do to take responsibility in this situation. Each day I find that I must balance my commitments to others with my commitment to my own self care. Taking more frequent breaks, even for a short time, makes a difference to my overall well being throughout the day. I walk away from the computer so I can rest my eyes by either closing them or by gazing out the window to take in the beauty I see outdoors. Recognizing that my head is heavy, I find a comfortable position to rest it and take the pressure of its 5-6 pounds off of my neck for awhile. These small gifts that I give to myself throughout the day may seem simple, yet they are exactly what I need to do in order to continue caring for my healing head. I feel empowered in a situation that is beyond my control when I take steps to be responsible for my own care. As long as I remember to take compassionate care of myself, I effectively leave my despair and frustration behind.
Heart healings are featured in my upcoming book, Lost and Found…One woman’s story of finding and keeping faith. I find it interesting that I now have the opportunity to learn about head healing. What I have discovered is that healing takes time. It can be slow and requires a great deal of patience. The pace is easier to endure, however, when I look at it as an opportunity to grow, and these thoughts then shift me to a level five energy. With curiosity I ask myself, what can I learn from this today? I often forget to ask this powerful question. When I don’t, I’m much more likely to remain in level two struggling energy, or grab a hold of a level one thought of fear that swirls above me. But when I apply conscious effort to focus on the opportunities that lie within my difficulties, I raise my spirit, enthusiasm, and overall energy. And that lift, in itself, is worth the effort.
My cowgirl boots which I bought during a level 5 retail therapy outing when I could no longer wear my skiing boots after my concussion are a good reminder to walk all over the level one energy of feeling blue.
Today’s author: Carol deLaski Hayes is a Certified Leadership Coach. You can reach Carol at www.ReadyForInsight.com or at 301-371-7460.
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by Carol deLaski | May 15, 2013 | Guest Blogging, Laura Hall, Personal Development, Professional Development, Success
“Never give up. And most importantly, be true to yourself. Write from your heart, in your own voice, and about what you believe in.” -Louise Brown
In October of 2010 Wholistic Woman Retreats published it’s first blog. Since then we’ve posted 65 blogs, including this one. As the quote above states, we’ve written from our heart, in our own voice and about what we believe in.
A few months ago, we came up with the idea of opening our blog space to members of the Wholistic Woman Community. We know you are living amazing lives of both personal and professional trials and triumphs. You have stories to tell. Stories that may lift someone up at just the right time. Stories that may give someone else an ‘ah-ha’ moment. Stories that connect and inspire. What’s your story?
If this idea is appealing and you are ready to share your wisdom about your own growth with our community here are the guidelines to participate.
Who is eligible to post?
This is a benefit for members of the Wholistic Woman Community only. For information on membership, click here.
Content:
We are looking for blogs about personal and professional growth. They may be inspiring, thought provoking, or personal in nature. Of course they should be original with women being the target audience, but the material does not need to be exclusive to women.
Length:
400-1,000 words
Exclusivity:
We are looking for blogs that are written specifically for the Wholistic Woman Community and therefore request that you do not post your blog on any other sites.
Links:
- Blogs may not include affiliate links
- Personal links should not be included in the copy
- 2 personal links are permitted in your byline
Images:
Please supply an image to accompany your blog. If you need help with this, we will be happy to help you. Please make sure you have permission to use the image you choose and if necessary give proper credit to the source.
Editing:
Wholistic Woman Retreats has the right to edit your blog as we see necessary. We will send the edited version to you for approval prior to posting. We also reserve the right to reject blogs that are not consistent with our messaging of personal and professional growth.
Sharing:
Once your blog has been posted we request that you help promote it via social media. You will be allowed to provide a link to it from your personal website if you choose. We also request that you respond to any comments it may receive.
Now, what’s your story? Please send your blog submissions to [email protected]
We look forward to hearing from you!
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by Carol deLaski | Apr 19, 2013 | Children, Family, Laura Hall, Success
“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” – Neale Donald Walsch
What scares you? Where is fear holding you back in life? Before you read any further, STOP! I want you to really think about those questions.
OK, thanks for playing along! Now we can proceed.
Something you should know about me, is that I LOVE quotes. They motivate me, challenge me and inspire me. Neale Donald Walsch’s above quote is something I believe and try to live on a daily basis. It reminds me to challenge myself and to remeber that it’s OK to feel uncomfortable sometimes. I work on being comfortable being uncomfortable. Does that make sense?
When I see other people stepping outside their comfort zone, it warms my heart. I feel a kindred connection to people who are willing to feel fear and instead of using that as an excuse, they turn and face it and refuse to let it hold them back. Today, I’d like to tell you about two amazing wholistic women who I recently had the privilege of watching step outside their comfort zone. It just so happens that these two amazing women are my teenage daughters, Kayla and Helena.
Let’s start with Helena, for no particular reason other than she’s the 2nd child and usually gets listed 2nd so today we are going to let her go 1st.
Helena is 15 years old and recently bought herself a ukulele. In the span of about 3 weeks she taught herself to play, added 3 songs to her repertoire, and decided she wanted to step outside her comfort zone and challenge herself to perform at an open mike night at one of the local coffee shops. The night of her big debut came quickly and as I sat there with her, waiting for it to be her turn to perform, I noticed she was very quiet. She was nervous, but I also sensed a determination to not let her fear stop her. When they called her name, she walked with confidence up to the performance area, joked with the audience about how if she messed up they should give her a break as she had only had the ukulele 3 weeks and proceeded to play 3 of her songs to an audience of about 40 people. I was so proud of her! Here is a brief video of her performance:
Helena’s Performance
The next story is about Kayla, my 18 year old daughter who is a senior in high school this year and will be attending Towson University in the fall to study nursing. About a week ago I had a little accident at home which resulted in 5 staples in the top of my head. I won’t go into the gory details because they aren’t important. What is important is that because I have a degree in physical therapy and my husband is a dentist, I convinced the doctor at the urgent care facility to give me the staple remover so that I could take them out at home instead of having to make another visit to urgent care. When the night came to remove the staples, I asked Kayla if she wanted to take them out for me. She said yes, but admitted that she was feeling a little sick to her stomach and was nervous about hurting me. I assured her that I have a high pain tolerance, and after my husband demonstrated the technique to her, she then removed the remaining 4 staples, growing in confidence with each one. She is going to make an excellent nurse one day and I am proud to say that I was her 1st patient.
I’d like to take this opportunity to publicly thank my daughters for being an inspiration to me. Watching them step outside their comfort zones reminds me that it is normal to feel uncomfortable and even to experience fear when we are challenging ourselves in some way. The problems arise when we let the fear stop us. Being fearless isn’t about not being afraid, but rather fearing less. As Mark Twain says, “Do the thing you fear most and the death of fear is certain.”
Where in your life are you stepping outside your comfort zone? I encourage you to share your story in our comments. You may just be the inspiration someone else needs to turn and face their fear.
Today’s author: Laura Hall is an iPEC certified life coach who believes every woman deserves a coach. She offers both one on one as well as group coaching services. She can be reached at [email protected] or check out her website at www.hallcoaching.com
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by Carol deLaski | Nov 8, 2012 | Carol deLaski, Success
“I always wanted to go on a hot air balloon ride,” my mother quietly said as we sat around the picnic table discussing our bucket lists last summer. We had just completed the Wholistic Woman Zip Line Retreat, and the rush of accomplishment left an afterglow with many of the women that prompted discussion about what they wanted to do next. Some had spoken of sky diving and scuba diving, but my mom was caught up in a dreamlike reverie about hot air balloons. I looked at my mother with new eyes as she shared this desire of her heart. She continues to amaze and inspire me as she embraces a life of travel and adventure into her eighties.
The conversation led me to wonder why we put off doing the things that inspire and excite us. What are we waiting for and what does it take to move us into action?
In my mom’s case it simply took putting the wish out there and then saying ‘yes’ to an invitation. My two sisters and I decided to gift a hot air balloon ride to her for her 82nd birthday this year. Mom’s response, when we ran the idea by her, was an emphatic “Yes! Let’s do it!” and we all shook our heads in admiration of her unbridled enthusiasm.
Despite her initial excitement, though, on the day of the ride, she seemed quiet and pensive as she sat in the van watching the beautifully colored balloon inflate. The pilot, Ron, drafted us three sisters to be part of the crew and we hurried to follow his instructions while Mom waited patiently to board the basket. I could see her hesitancy now that the moment was almost upon us. How many of us do the same, bravely setting out to do something new only to waver as the moment of commitment approaches?
To distract and encourage her I read her a post on Facebook from a woman in Germany who had met Mom at a previous Wholistic Woman Retreat in 2011. Upon learning of our impending hot air adventure, Karen wrote how inspired she had previously been by Mom doing a zip line over the lake during the 2011 retreat. Along with others, she sent Mom birthday wishes from “your biggest fan in Germany”, encouraging her from across the world. We marveled at how small the world is now with instant communication and the sense of connection it brings. We also noted how uplifting it is to receive encouragement from others when we are feeling unsure of ourselves.
So what does it take to make our dreams come true? An initial component is gumption; that inner sense of courage that overcomes fear and nervousness. Whether we state our wishes quietly, as mom did, or broadcast them boldly for the whole world to hear, subtle movement begins when we give voice, or expression, to our desires.
Once we begin moving forward we can anticipate that there will be moments when we falter. A second component that is necessary for our success is encouragement and support. As a leadership coach, I have had the privilege of seeing many men and women grow into all they want to be. Whether it’s checking something off their life list, learning a new skill, or launching a new business, people ‘on-the-grow’ energize one another to achieve their life dreams.
I am blessed to have a mother who models this for not only me and my family, but for the entire Wholistic Woman Community. She inspires all of us to live life fully, no matter what our ages, and to embrace an attitude of enthusiasm that overcomes nervousness. Surrounding ourselves with people who inspire, motivate, and encourage us when we waver is critical to our success.
Could you benefit from associating with such a group of people? We warmly invite you to join this community that supports ongoing growth and forward movement to achieve lives that are personally satisfying and fulfilling.
Stay tuned here to learn about monthly topical coaching opportunities in 2013.
To read the rest of the story about the hot air balloon ride click here….
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by Carol deLaski | Sep 6, 2012 | Business, Children, Family, Finances, Fitness, Health, Laura Hall, Nutrition, Success
I am so excited to be giving you a little preview of one of the upcoming workshops being presented by Lisa DiSciullo and myself at the upcoming Wholistic Woman Retreat! We’ve titled it, “Spark a Wholehearted Life” and it’s being based around the work of Brene Brown. I first learned about Brene Brown after watching one of her TED talks http://home/wholisu6/dev.wholisticwomanretreats.com.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability.html and if you haven’t seen this, I highly recommend it. Her work has given me permission to be perfectly imperfect and as a “recovering perfectionist” this is just the permission I’ve been waiting for.
Wholehearted living is about recognizing your worthiness, that you already are enough, and then living from that place in harmony with your perceived imperfections. It’s about turning inward and acknowledging what is true for you and embracing that. It’s about letting go of allowing other people to dictate who or what you are supposed to be, and choosing your authentic truth, and then being courageous enough to stand up and say this is the real me. I’m done pretending to be something I’m not. I’m done trying to live up to unrealistic expectation. I’m done living by someone else’s rules for me. Here I am world, vulnerabilities and all! It’s not easy, but as someone who has been practicing this, I promise you, it has been well worth it!
Of course, this is life, and life is sometimes messy, so of course there are things that can get in the way of living a wholehearted life. Some days are better than others, but knowing what the potential road blocks are, allows us options, or detours, around these potential pitfalls. And on the positive side, there are also daily habits you can create that will assist you in wholehearted living. We will be looking at both of these aspects.
If this piqued your curiosity, if this leaves you wondering how effectively you are living a wholehearted life, if this has your imagination soaring about what would be possible if you started living life on your own terms, then please join us!
So, what are you doing September 28th and 29th? If you’d like to join us at the retreat, sign up TODAY as space is limited. You can do this at wholisticwomanretreats.com
Here’s to changing the world, one wholehearted life at a time!
Laura
Today’s author: Laura Hall is an iPEC certified life coach who believes every woman deserves a coach. She offers both one on one as well as group coaching services. She can be reached at [email protected] or check out her website at http://home/wholisu6/dev.wholisticwomanretreats.com.hallcoaching.com/.
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by Carol deLaski | Aug 19, 2012 | Business, Children, Family, Finances, Fitness, Health, Linda Norris, Nutrition, Success
What a way to get out of my own head!!
Wwwhhheeee!!! Flying down a zip line, through the trees, on a 90-degree summer evening and feeling the wind—I could even feel it through my tennis shoes as my feet dangled down in the breeze. Now if that doesn’t clear the cobwebs out of your head from a day of sitting in the office, nothing will.
I loved the chance to do this Zip and Sip (of course we had to celebrate with wine and picnic dinners afterward) with other wholistic women on Tuesday, July 17th. I like hanging out with these ladies–not only the life coaches, who are the glue that holds the Wholistic Community together, but the women they draw to them.
I’m not a coach, even though I spend a lot of time with them. I’m like the rest of you: worried about your kids, your job, your husband, your health, your Mom’s doctors appointment, your son’s new girlfriend….you name it, and you’re taking it on, just like me. Personally, its my kids, my work, my hot fla……..well….we won’t get too personal but you get the drift.
Yet when I get together with this group of women, its like a book club, a baby shower, a business meeting—–all wrapped into one. It gets me away from my worries and allows me to relax, yet at the same time, if one of my worries is on my heart and I feel an affinity with the woman I happen to be laughing with, its ok to share a worry–not only OK, but release. Because the women drawn to our group are non-judgmental, good listeners, and will always share some perspective they’ve experienced that relates to my problem—-and I feel so much less alone!
As you look at this Zip Line video, you know now why I come to these social events put on by Wholistic Woman Retreats–not just the weekend retreats, which are a double- or triple-dose of what I enjoy, but the socials, workshops and other things we’ve done. Its a space to work things out for myself, but supported by other women who have the same worries. Let me know with your comments if you feel the same way!
Linda Norris, NW Communications lind[email protected] 240-315-8876
Check out our new website: www.nwcommsyourstory.com
FB: www.facebook.com/nwcomms
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