‘It was a golden year beyond my dreams.
I proved you’re never too old to achieve
what you really want to do.’
Heather Turland
(Australian Women’s Marathon gold medalist)
I took time off last week to celebrate my birthday and spend time with family and friends.
For the last 10 years the week before and the day of my birthday were very difficult for me. Each year I kept thinking, I was a year older and what was I really accomplishing with my life. After getting through the day of my birthday, I felt better ans started thinking this was a new year and I would be accomplishing great things.
After a few days of feeling sorry for myself, I made a decision, this year would be different and I would enjoy my birthday. I started making a list of all my accomplishments and was pleasantly surprised to see how I was achieving my goals. Doing this simple little activity, changed my outlook and this year I had a beautiful birthday week.
Some of my achievements:
· Maintaining a healthy lifestyle by eating healthy and exercising.
· Having loving and supportive relationships with my family members and friends.
· Being a loving and supportive wife, mother, grandmother and friend.
· Willing to take a risk and learn from the experience.
· Managing a successful coaching business.
· Blogging and loving it.
What are some of your achievements, I would love to hear about them.
Before getting out of bed this morning, I was thinking, “I have choices either to make myself crazy with worrying about everyone or believe everyone is doing great. It sounds so simple and sometimes hard to do.
I have been dealing with the Worry Gremlin for years. The only things I am accomplishing are not trusting, making myself nervous, and building resentments towards others because I have to worry about them. At a 12 Step Meeting, I once heard this expression and never forgot it, “Resentment is drinking poison and hoping the other person dies.”
While attending the Institute of Empowerment Coaching (iPEC), I learned all about the GREMLIN. My Gremlin’s name was “The Worry Gremlin” and her job was to protect me. She has been protecting me for years and years. I was never aware of my Gremlin until it was brought to my attention that she was making my life harder instead of easier.
I read a great book “Taming Your Gremlin” by Richard D. Carson. In the book the author guides you through the process of, “Becoming aware of your gremlin, choosing and playing with options and being in the process.” Today when I remember I acknowledge my Gremlin for protecting me, make a choice to comfort myself by thinking that I have no control over anyone else and ask my Gremlin, “The Protector” to protect us all in a loving and supportive way.
Other tools I use for making me feel confident, loving and supportive are:
Exercising
Eating Healthy
Speaking to my support network
Taking a mini-vacation everyday (taking at least 10 minutes a day to do whatever I want.)
Before going to bed I write in my “Happiness” journal at least 3 things that made me happy during the day and a sentence about each item. This suggestion I learned from Laurie Weiss (www.idontneedtherapy.com/blog.)
I would love to hear about your Gremlin.
