I hope 2006 is already off to a wonderful start for you. As for the rest of the year, I invite you to take a couple of minutes right now to think about what would allow you to more fully enjoy your experience of each day.

May you enjoy a fabulous week ahead!

Margie   :)

Could You Enjoy 2006 More Fully?

During the last couple weeks I’ve spent time reflecting on the last 12 months and what lies ahead in the next.  Although there are things I’m excited about this year (including the publishing of my first book Find Your Courage! and emptying my house of all nappies/diapers as I toilet train my youngest child), I realized that it would be a real shame if a year from now I’d achieved what I’d set out to achieve but hadn’t enjoyed the experience fully.

Here’s what came up for me.  In order for me to do all that I want to do and be all that I want to be as a person, I need to be fully present for people and to my life itself.  Whilst the concept of ‘being present’ isn’t new to me, it really hit me between the eyes how ‘unpresent’ (if there is such a word) I so often am.   I don’t know about you, but I regularly find myself feeling pulled in multiple directions simultaneously, multi-tasking 101 things at once (slight exaggeration) and trying to fit as much as I can into my day that I’m often just not 100% focused on any task (or person).

It’s kind of humbling for me to share this with you as being a Life Coach I’d much rather be telling you that I’m always this ultra calm and centered person who never gets uptight or scattered and moves through my day with Dalai Lama like tranquility.  Alas, I’d like to say that but then it wouldn’t be true. So apart from practicing a little humility the reason I am sharing this with you is twofold.

Firstly because it is my experience that whenever we share with somebody (or a whole lot of ‘somebodies’ in this case) a goal or aspiration, it strengthens our commitment to that possibility.  Although you may well not be going to hold me accountable to being fully present (though please feel free to do so), just the act of putting this ‘out there’ will help me in holding myself accountable.

Secondly, I’m sharing this because what I’m saying may resonate with you. Perhaps there are times when you too find it difficult to let go feeling upset about something from the past or being anxious about the future and struggle to completely enjoy where you find yourself right NOW. Perhaps you also feel like you are often not really present to the people you are with - whether at work, at home or elsewhere  - as your mind races about focused on everything else but the conversation you are in.

Of all the time frames in which we can live in – past, present and future – the only moment we ever have is the present moment.  It’s seems ironic then that the reason we often cannot fully enjoy the present moment is because we are focused on issues we feel may jeopardize future present moments (e.g. “Oh I hope my two year old learns to control his temper”; “What if there was another 9/11?”’ “What if the weather ruins my plans this weekend?”, "What if the client presentation doesn't go well?" etc).  The truth is that whatever may or may not happen in your life, you will be far better able to respond to the circumstances if you are present in the ‘now’.

Being present allows you to:

·         enjoy whatever circumstances you find yourself in more fully and deeply

·         connect with people more easily (its hard to really connect with people when you’re mind is elsewhere)

·         enjoy more intimate, trusting and rich relationships

·         feel more confident in just being yourself and expressing yourself authentically (since when you are being fully present to someone you cannot be preoccupied with ‘What will they think of me?” kinds of thoughts)

·         perform better under pressure – less scattered, more focused

·         experience more ease and less stress (you won’t misplace your keys so often!)

·         remember more clearly (“present minded” vs “absent minded”) including the names and details of those whom you meet

·         process setbacks more powerfully and criticism less personally  - rather than getting all upset/angry/despondent you will respond calmly and constructively

·         direct more energy into the things that inspire you as you regain all the energy  previously put into blaming, worrying, scorning and racing about like a headless chook! 

Of course you may well be able to achieve all your ‘doing’ goals for 2006 without being fully present as you go about them accomplishing them.  But what about your ‘being’ goals?  How do you want to be as a person throughout the year (and years!) ahead?  Only by being fully present to others and to life will you be able to do all and be all that you are capable of. Only by being fully present will you be able to really enjoy each day, each hour, each moment of your life regardless of what does and does not go the way you want it to.

Unfortunately becoming more present in your way of being in the world isn’t something you or I can just permanently “switch on”.  Being fully present may well be a life long ‘work in progress’ (at least I sense this is what it will be for me);  something we gradually move toward with ongoing commitment, practice and a deepening level of self awareness. Sometimes two steps forward, one step backward.   As you develop a greater level of awareness you can discern, without judging, how present you are and say to yourself “ah ha… there I go being unpresent again”. It is in that moment that you have the power to choose to become centered again and reconnect back into the present moment – the ‘now’ – and to whomever you are sharing it with.  Sometimes just the process of following your breath in and out a few times can help you in doing this.  Likewise other ways people find helpful to become more present - and enjoy the sense of ease and calm that goes with that state of being - are meditation, prayer, music, journaling or just sitting outside soaking in the sunshine!

Remember you are not going to enjoy your life more by running faster. Rather you will enjoy life more  by slowing down enough to really relish all that is great about your life right now and to see with clarity what you need to be doing to move you toward whatever it is inspires you most deeply. Peace, joy and ease cannot exist where stress, anxiety and whirlwind mind do.   You are going to be more fully who you want to be as a person – courageous, generous, thoughtful, loving, open, strong, self-expressed - as you cultivate your self awareness and move into a more present way of being in the world.

In the interests of not turning this newsletter into a mini-book (which is my tendency) I’ll leave it here. However if this has resonated with you at all then I really encourage you to take some time to just be quiet and think about what a difference it would make for you – in your relationships, your effectiveness at work and your ability to deeply enjoy your life - to spend more time each day living completely in the moment and less living in the days gone by or those ahead.

I hope you have some exciting plans for 2006.  The question is – what can you do for yourself today that will help you to more fully enjoy the experience of working toward them?  

Below are some wonderful books which are all about how you can live more fully in the present moment – enjoying greater peace of mind, ease, joy and a whole lot less stress.   Surely, that's something worth investing in? (they're all available on www.Amazon.com)

Peace is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life by Thich Nhat Hanh (forward by the Dalai Lama)

The Present : The Gift That Makes You Happier And More Successful At Work And In Life, Today! By Spencer Johnson

The Power of Now by Echart Tolle

Now! : The Art of Being Truly Present by Jean Smith

The Power of Intention by Wayne Dyer

Meditation: A Book and CD Set: The Four-Step Course To Calmness and Clarity by Ed and Debbie Shapiro

For information on Margie's speaking topics please visit www.margiewarrell.com/speak.asp.  Organizations Margie has spoken to include:

• Accenture,
• American Airlines
• American Business Women's Association (ABWA)
• British Telecom
• Business & Professional Women's Association
• Dallas-Fort Worth HR Managers Association
• Dallas Career Women's Association
• National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO)
• Sabre Holdings
• Southern Methodist University
• Verizon

MARGIE'S AUDIO CDS

You can also listen to two of Margie's most popular presentations on audio CD which are now available for sale through her website at www.margiewarrell.com/products.asp