Can You See?

Hello. How are you today? How is 2007 going? I do hope things are going well and that this year proves to be your best yet.

This morning I was listening to the radio and heard a lovely piece about a lady who regained her sight after being blind, (or seriously sight impaired, if that is more pc!). She had an operation and as she was coming round, not knowing if the op had been successful, she heard many voices saying 'Can you see? Can you see?' She described the 'electric shock of seeing' as she opened her eyes. Then she went on to describe the almost indescribable delight she takes daily in her sight, the wonder of the world around her, the bad as well as the good, and the beauty of the sunset. She said that regaining her sight was like winning the lottery.

And all this struck a chord with me. How we so often take so much for granted, always trying to find more from life, striving for what is almost in sight but not quite, and that we don't often take time to just truly 'see' what is all around us. We are given wonderful gifts on a regular basis and yet sometimes we just can't see them. So the question for now is, 'Can you see?' Really see? See what is in front of you? See the simple things in life which you sometimes take for granted?

I am off on an Awfully Big Adventure shortly with my son and am sooooo looking forward to it! All this philosophising and questioning of life has given me a huge thirst to explore more of what life has to offer. I will be blogging along the way and hope to stay in touch. I have no idea quite what to expect but I am going with eyes wide open and a real appreciation of the great opportunity this is. In the meantime, enjoy yourself whenever and wherever you can!

Time for a Change?

Happy New Year. How's it going for you so far?

We had a lovely Christmas and New Year. A. was in plaster after falling off his dad's back and breaking his arm, and enjoyed the attention that gave him! He got loads of presents and satisfied his love of Green Day with lots of paraphernalia and CDs. His uncle was over from Spain so that made it extra special. I had good fun over New Year, with the Zest group at a Youth Hostel at Boggle Hole, right on the beach near Robin Hood's Bay. I was even persuaded to take part in a karaoke Z factor competition, after a lot of booze at the beach party, and dressed as Adam Ant for the NY Party. All things that a year ago I would not have even considered... And those who know me know how bad my singing is and my views on karaoke!

A sad time following the New Year; J's Mum, A's only grandparent, died on January 2nd. She was a very special lady, a Highland Scot with 9 children who all loved her and she will be much missed.

So, we are only a couple of weeks into 2007 and already we have had a mix of experiences and emotions. It is early days to see if this year will be better, worse, more fun, less stressful or simply different to last year. That final point is guaranteed. Whatever the previous year brought you, you know things WILL be different this year. Some of the differences will be positive, some negative, some out of your control, and some within your control.

And it is the latter area that interests me at this time of year. We all talk blithely about making New Year resolutions, some adamant they will lose weight, give up smoking, cut down on the booze, etc... others adamant they won't make any resolutions cos they are a waste of time. The thing is, we can make a difference to our experience of this year, by simply choosing some areas we want to change, identifying what that change looks like and then exploring the options we have for getting there. The difficult bit is sticking to this, or flexing when other things step in.

I have found that getting other people to help me to achieve change is really helpful, both in practical terms and as a general motivator. As a coach, of course I think that coaching can be a great way to get support for change, but there are many other things you can do too. I have told my best friend that I want to have more fun this year, and she has promised faithfully to help me achieve that! On a really practical level, I now have a great PA to help develop my business, and also support me in my vision for the future. We are currently setting up The Chartwell Club, which aims to provide group coaching and support for Change and give people an opportunity to share experiences and ideas on a regular basis. Oh, yes, and be fun too! If you have any suggestions for how we can do that, do let me know.

Have a think about the ways you can get support to ensure that the changes you make this year are ones that you are in control of and ones that will make you happier and more fulfilled.