Who's In Your Corner?

I attended a community event this past weekend that was a fun competition to help raise some funds for a wonderful nonprofit organization. The event featured various community "celebrities" competing against one another for some individual prizes, but always with an eye toward helping the cause and work of the larger entity.  As each celebrity took their turn, it was fun to hear various pockets of the theater come to life in support of their champion. While people had come to strengthen the overall cause, they clearly had their favorites!  

I've been reflecting on that since the event, and it's raised a question in my mind: "Who's in your corner?" In other words, who is part of your support network cheering you on in life? I know we may not all have a huge crowd following us around, cheering and yelling encouragement to us as we walk around the office or the grocery store, but come on - that might be kind of fun every once in a while! "Yeah Stephen, way to pick those bananas up and put them in your cart! You're doing a great job getting the grocery shopping done!!" 

Despite that over-exaggerated example, I think my primary question still stands - "Who's in your corner?" Who do you know is a part of your life that will show up when it matters? Who is it that's willing to provide you with a word of encouragement, or just check in with you every once in a while? Who would you call if you got into a bind and needed an extra pair of hands or a ride to the airport?

Which leads to another question - Have you thanked them lately for being part of your support network? Do they know how grateful you are they are in your corner and that you are in their corner too? Maybe there's someone in your support network who needs you to cheer them on right now? 

Here's to taking some time this week to name and thank Who's In Your Corner!

Be Well,

Stephen

Center was created to support individuals and teams so they can live from their Purposeful Center.  We specialize in professional coaching and leadership development and we’d love to support you!  Click on our Services page to book a free consultation.

Mindful of Our Impact

I've had the privilege in the past few weeks to get some feedback from some individuals that I've made an impact in their lives.  Some of that feedback came in the moment, some of it came later when I found out a previous conversation was really meaningful to someone.  I understand that the nature of my work puts me in situations where I am having deeper conversations with people, but I am often surprised when I hear how much of an impact I have been honored to have in someone else's life.

When I reflect on this in my own life, I am able to see there have been many moments along the way where a well-timed word of encouragement or shared piece of wisdom had a significant impact on me. And similar to myself, when I share with the person what our encounter meant to me, they are often surprised by the impact they had on me.

I guess maybe I should stop being surprised that we affect each other in this way. After all, I don't find it surprising when I hear about hurts or pains that we can inflict on each other, so why wouldn't the opposite also be true in a positive way? 

My point this week is this: Being aware of the impact we have on others around us (both good and bad) gives us an opportunity to be more mindful and intentional about that impact.  What if by recognizing this fact we could work to limit our negative impact and increase our positive impact?  For example, what if we knew there was one person this week we were meant to impact positively, and so we just kept our eyes and ears open to see if we could discover who it was and take action on that moment? And what if in the process of paying better attention, we were more mindful of our words and actions toward others, perhaps choosing to speak in a kinder way than we might normally be tempted to in a stressful situation?  And what if when we saw an opportunity to speak a word of encouragement, we didn't let it pass as a fleeting idea, but we actually acted on it because we didn't want to miss it if that was "the one" for this week?

Bottom line, our words and actions are making an impact on the people around us, and being more mindful of that reality can help us minimize pain and maximize kindness. Who knows, a simple, kind word may make way more of a difference than you think it does!

Here's to being Mindful of Our Impact this week!

Be Well,

Stephen

Center was created to support individuals and teams so they can live from their Purposeful Center.  We specialize in professional coaching and leadership development and we’d love to support you!  Click on our Services page to book a free consultation.

So Much Gratitude!

It's been a bit of a whirlwind the past couple of weeks - a family wedding and then some time away to rest afterwards.  As I get back into the swing of things this week, I find myself full of gratitude. Despite the busyness and activity of the wedding weekend, spending time with family and friends was truly joyous! Then getting to be away and read some fun books and not have to worry about a schedule or a calendar, also a real blessing.  

All of this has reminded me how important it is to periodically stop and take time to reflect and name what brings us joy, holding those things in our hearts with gratitude.  I've actually shared about this in the past so it may not be new to you (although it's almost been a year since I last shared it), but intentionally practicing gratitude is a very powerful exercise for our overall wellbeing. Identifying and finding ways to express our gratitude lifts us up and can help to lift up those around us too! 

If you were to take some intentional time to reflect on the joys of your life (it doesn't have to be big things like family weddings but can be as simple as reading a good book), how would you go about that? What would be the best ways for you to share it or express that gratitude? Who would you want to tell and how might that impact their lives too?

I realize this may sound like an overly simplistic thought, but I'd really encourage you to maybe even pause for just a moment right now and think of one thing from the past 24 hours you could be grateful for and allow it to sit in your heart for just a moment. Who knows, maybe you're already smiling?!

Here's to Practicing Gratitude this week!

Be Well,

Stephen

Center was created to support individuals and teams so they can live from their Purposeful Center.  We specialize in professional coaching and leadership development and we’d love to support you!  Click on our Services page to book a free consultation.