The Balanced Living Journal

Practical information for busy women from Women's Success Coach Catherine Bruns. Visit me also at www.coachbalance.com

Monday, October 24, 2005

Women Leaders

I was standing in line at the grocery the other day and, as usual, scanning the magazines - yes, even those kooky tabloids - when my eyes landed on Newsweek with Oprah on the cover - titled, When Women Lead.

Am I just seeing it everywhere or are women's issues beginning to take front and center?

One of my big theories as to what is going on with us women these days is that there has been such tremendously rapid cultural change for us in just the last 50 years, that we really don't have the role models to help us know how to be strong, and true, and full of ourselves - in the good way. Think about it, we went from June Cleaver, to braids and burning bras, to power suits with shoulder pads, to where we are now - which is kind of a mix of all of them.

Well, I think we do have role models now. I saw them in Newsweek. Of course there is Oprah for me. But, we are diverse and we need a multitude of role models. Check out the issue, you may find a woman who inspires you.

We all need inspriration.


Thursday, October 20, 2005

The Big Question

What would you do if you could not fail? As I was reading along at www.happynews.com, my latest fave way of checking out what happening in the world, this was a question posed in one of the headlines. Certainly that caught my eye.

I had two responses to this. The first was to think, what's wrong with failure. Failure teaches us important lessons and we grow and gain knowledge, skills, and understanding from failure. Failure is a natural part of being human, of nature actually. How would our world be different if we didn't encounter failure? All of our amazing inventions and technologies came as a result of experimentation and previous failures. So, failure is good.

Then, almost simultaneously, as thoughts sort of do, I began to think about how powerful this question is in helping people to deterimine the true desires of life and for some how failure equals fear. Failure can really be a show stopper for some folks who have beliefs that failure really means something about who they are as a person. By considering this question, the failure aspect becomes suspended, and a person's true path in life can become illuminated.

I don't think failure is a bad thing. However, I know there are a lot of you out there who can become paralyzed by the possibility of failure and that stops you from even trying something new.

So, consider the question - what would you do if you could not fail? Start a business, sing in a band, learn a new sport, lose weight, run a marathon, really communicate your feelings? Make a list and consider what your life would be like if you actually did these things. Begin to bring them to life.

Failure is a human concept that lives in our brains. When a lion stalks a prey and then fails to capture it, that failure certainly doesn't stop that lion from hunting again. The lion simply learns and adapts from that situation. And the lion certainly doesn't feel shame as a result - perhaps hungry, but not shame.

I challenge you. Make your list and enrich your life by becoming who you are truly meant to be. And, if you need help, give me a call. I don't believe in failure.

www.coachbalance.com

Tuesday, October 11, 2005

Erma's Wisdom

IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER - by Erma Bombeck

(Written after she found out she was dying from cancer.)

I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day.

I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.

I would have talked less and listened more.

I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained, or the sofa faded.

I would have eaten the popcorn in the 'good' living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.

I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.

I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.

I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.

I would have sat on the lawn with my grass stains.

I would have cried and laughed less while watching television and more while watching life.

I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn't show soil, or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.

Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.


When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, "Later. Now go get washed up for dinner." There would have been more "I love you's." More "I'm sorry's."

But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute...look at it and really see it live it and never give it back. Stop sweating the small stuff.

Don't worry about who doesn't like you, who has more, or who's doing what.

Instead, let's cherish the relationships we have with those who do love us.

Let's think about what God HAS blessed us with. And what we are doing each day to promote ourselves mentally, physically, emotionally. I hope you all have a blessed day.

Monday, October 10, 2005

Happy News - my dream has come true

For the longest time I've been telling my friends that I want to create the Good News Network. You know, the place where you go for up to date world information about what great stuff is happening out there. Not that I really wanted to create a media conglomerate, but why am I bombarded with such bad news from the media all the time? Does sensation really sell, or have Americans been trained to buy that *&^%?

I realized quite a long time ago that I could not watch TV news. It is just too upsetting to me and creates bad feelings that linger on and on. By accident I caught a TV news trailer after Oprah the other day - you know, the clip that entices you to keep watching - which said, "Baby run over by car in driveway. Stay tuned to see who the driver was." Gross! And dishonoring to the baby and the parent. And I noticed when I read the paper this morning that every single headline in the front page was terrible news. I skipped that section.

So, voila! Enter the Good News Network, in the form of www.happynews.com. My friend Craig sent this good news on over to me and I quickly added it to my RSS feeds and keep up with the world, but in a good way. It's not just 'boy saves puppy from well' stories. It is the news that you would see in other media locations, but with a good news perspective.

Check out happynews.com and see if you're ready for a regular dose of good news. I bet you'll be surprised at the impact you see in your body and your mind. I bet you smile when you read it, and we all know that smiling makes everything better!

coachbalance.com

Thursday, October 06, 2005

Just for Fun!

Life can be a bit too serious sometimes. Check out this fun little quiz about your birthdate and see how accurate you think it is.

Here's mine. Do I think it's accurate? Yep - and I'm excited about the financially lucky part!






Your Birthdate: August 17



Your birth on the 17th day of the month suggests that you are very lucky financially, because this date indicates a solid business sense.

Although you are probably very honest and ethical, this birthday enables you to be shrewd and successful in the world of business and commercial enterprise.

You have excellent organizational, managerial, and administrative capabilities enabling you to handle large projects and significant amounts of money with relative ease.



You are ambitious and highly goal-oriented, although you may be better at starting projects than you are at finishing them.

A sensitivity in your nature, often repressed below the surface of awareness, makes it hard to give or receive affection.

Sunday, October 02, 2005

Dreamboards- Visual Inspiration

Remember collages? Your elementary school teacher sat you down with a pair of safety scissors, a jar of paste with instructions not to eat it, and a pile of magazines, and off you went to create your masterpiece of cut outs.

As grown ups we have graduated to scissors with points, and are no longer tempted by paste (hopefully!), but collages still come in handy - they're just called dreamboards now.

Dreamboard, huh? If you're not familiar, a dreamboard is an inspirational visual image representing your dream, future, vision, or goal. Often a dreamboard is put together as a collage, but it certainly can take other forms.

I've created a few of my own dreamboards. The first one I did was when I began my own business. My intention for this creation was to have a visual guidance and inspriational focus as a I walked into a new part of my life. Here's what I came up with


Then I outgrew that one and created a new one that focused on the growing aspects of my business and how it all fit together into my life as a whole


Just to give you another example, here's a dreamboard that one of my group participants put together (of course she gave me permission!).

Are you ready to create your own dreamboard? Here's how -

Gather a pile of magazines - often the library has ones for free.
Get a piece of posterboard and a glue stick.
Set your intention - what is the focus of this dreamboard?
Go through the magazines rather rapidly and simply rip out those images and words that strike you. Don't try to make sense of them, just rip.
Lay out all your pieces to get a sense of the whole.
Begin to place the cut outs on your posterboard and rearrange them until it feels satisfying to you and then glue them in place.

Voila! Dreamboard created. I usually hang mine above the altar I have in my office. I look at it almost daily and if I meditate during the day, that's where I end up. This is an intuitive process, so let your inner self be the guide and let her have some fun!

www.coachbalance.com