Practice Gratitude in times of Darkness

I am a firm believer in the power of Gratitude.  I also hate winter - shivering, cold, dark winter.

My attitude of gratitude is strongest during the winter.  It is what keeps me smiling and looking forward.  It is a blessing to be able to look outside and be grateful.  Otherwise, I would probably get labelled with some debillitating dis-ease.

In times of Darkness, there is always something to be grateful for. Period.

Winter is long in Canada and cold.  Yesterday it was -34C.  Only a short walk with the dog because the ground is too cold for his feet.  As we walked in the bitter cold, I chose to focus on what I was grateful for.  This is what I discovered:

• the bright blue sky. It was stunning.
• my leg warmers.  Last minute addition but they allowed me to climb snow banks and not get snow in my boots!
• hot chocolate.  Yummy.  Looking forward to a big cup at home.
• smiles. Even though it was freezing, I met others and we would share a smile and a frosty Hi.
• crunchy snow.  I love the sound.  

By choosing to focus on things I'm grateful for, I actually enjoyed my winter walk.

Gratitude is about finding the smallest hint of good in the bad.  Turning the negative into a positive.  Finding a hint of blue among the darkness.

Start turning the darkness into light.  Focus on what you are grateful for.  Include things you take for granted - walking, talking, health, love, a home, heat, food.

One act of gratitude today will have a positive impact.  One act of gratitude will grow into two and then three and then several.

Practice.  When you are challenged, think about something you are grateful for - going home, a delicious dinner, the sunshine.  You'll smile and your challenge will seem easier to handle.

Winter is here for a while.  I will hold onto my Attitude of Gratitude to lessen the challenge of the darkness and the bitter cold.

About Susan Ball:  Susan inspires her clients to live the life of their dreams with passion, joy, and love. Susan is an experienced international Life Coach helping people discover and live their ideal life through NLP, Mindfulness, and G.R.A.C.E.

Learn more about Susan by visiting her Online, on Facebook

Compliments - Take One and Then Pass It On

When was the last time you gave yourself a compliment?  Probably never.  Well, maybe a few times sarcastically!

Mostly, we spend our time "wishing" that someone, anyone would notice and then give us a compliment.  You know those little words of encouragement that we crave.

Waiting and wishing and hoping that someone will notice you and give you a compliment, causes your self-esteem and self-worth to plummet.

Essentially, you're relying on others to define your worth and make you feel special and that's a losing battle.

The time has come for you to rely on you for daily compliments.

Yup, you are going to give yourself compliments 

each and every day!

When you finish a task including washing the kitchen floor, take a second to tell yourself "Great Job!".  After you get dressed, look in the mirror and say "I'm rocking this outfit!".

Daily compliments have a trickle effect on your confidence, self-worth and self-esteem.  And before you know it all those trickles add up and you have built yourself a fantastic river of confidence.

Once you have a beautiful, flowing river of self-worth, it becomes next to impossible for anyone to divert your course.

Self-Worth - Self-Esteem - Confidence can be easily built when you add compliments to your daily life.

Stop looking to others to build you up because it won't happen.

Start your own "I Will Give Myself a Daily Compliment" practice.

Oh, please take your compliment and then pass a compliment on to someone else.



About Susan Ball:  Susan inspires her clients to live the life of their dreams with passion, joy, and love. Susan is an experienced international Life Coach helping people discover and live their ideal life through NLP, Mindfulness, and G.R.A.C.E.

Keep it Small & You Will Shine

It's that time again - New Year's Eve.  It's a time when we sit back and say "I need to change something"; "I need do something about ......"; "I really should......." etc.

I know that you're thinking about changes for the new year because I am too! Changes that will have a positive impact on your life and ultimately, make you feel better, healthier, and happier.  Yes, I want to make those changes and so do you.

The question is how do we make our changes last longer than a day, a week or a month?  How do we make it a true "lifestyle" change?  One that will have impact and we'll be able to actually celebrate?

Here Are the 3 K.I.S. Tips for Success:

Keep Your Changes Small - smaller - smallest

I want to lead a more active life - yes, I do.  But just saying that makes me feel a little stressed.  What does that mean?  How will I measure my success?

In order to succeed, I'm going to make my target small - smaller - smallest:

• I will take a leisurely walk on three mornings each week; or
• I will choose one night a week and make it a tv-free night; or
• I will commit to having a meat-free meal once a week; or
• I will choose to set the table and eat a proper sit-down meal at least one night each week; or
• I will only eat potato chips on Saturday nights while I'm watching the hockey game!

Now I can celebrate my accomplishments.  Much nicer than feeling horrible that I haven't accomplished this huge, unmanageable goal and then quitting.

Tell Your Truth

Stop lying to yourself!  Be honest and tell yourself the truth about what you will and won't do.

I did this exercise and now I'm completely comfortable knowing that I will never set foot in a gym - yuck; I will never completely stop eating junk food but I can accept only eating chips on Saturday.  What a treat to look forward to!

Be crazy honest with yourself.  If you want to change something about your life, what are you willing to do and what aren't you prepared to do.

Now, breathe a sigh of relief because you are on your way to success, honestly!

Allow Flexibility

Be flexible!  Flexibility lets you bend a little.  When you are flexible and you can bend, you won't snap and break your promise to yourself.

Let's say I wake-up on one of my leisurely walk days and it's raining cats and dogs.  I have two choices:

1. go out in the rain, get soaked and cold, be miserable, not joyous and feeling good about myself; or
2. Choose Flexibility - I will stay home today and walk tomorrow and I'm okay with my choice.

Choosing to be flexible will inspire me to keep going.  

Think about your goal 

Make it small - smaller - smallest

Tell Yourself the Truth 

Be flexible - bending so you won't break

You've got this!  

Happy New Year.

About Susan Ball:  Susan inspires her clients to live the life of their dreams with passion, joy, and love. Susan is an experienced international Life Coach helping people discover and live their ideal life through NLP, Mindfulness, and G.R.A.C.E.

Learn more about Susan by visiting her Online, on Facebook