Post-Thanksgiving Reflections

We recently returned from my sister’s near Raleigh, NC, where we shared the Thanksgiving holiday together. It was a pleasant time, seeing family members again and meeting new ones from extended families.

It was a different Thanksgiving this year, as both my sister and I had few duties in the kitchen. Two of my nieces prepared the turkey, stuffing, and vegetable dishes. Listening to their mp3 player, they danced around with surgical gloves as they put the turkey through its preparation paces. Two of the three cats were never far behind, waiting for any opportunity to accept a charitable contribution!

The dinner turned out beautifully. Everything was harmonious throughout the time together (two nights and a couple days). Everyone seemed to enjoy the camaraderie together. And the weather was quite delightful.

I enjoyed the relaxed pace and the chance to catch up on my visiting. It was great to see the progress reports of those making changes for the better in their lives. I heard reports ranging from the decision to" quit drinking resulting in day 30 of abstinence so far" to "eating better and seeing pounds come off" from several folks to "being more fiscally responsible."

As a family member and a life coach, I was most encouraged and excited to see people taking action and moving ahead in the right direction in life. It is great to see people taking responsibility for their actions and living up to their potential. I applauded them, as I do anyone I meet who is taking steps to turn their life around. All it takes is deciding and then doing what you know you need to do - consistently.

Having accountability helps a great deal. We all have days when we may be tempted to skip it just this once, or throw in the towel altogether. That one time is the most important time to get us over that one more hump to reaching our goal! If you know someone is counting on you to follow through on your word, it gives you that extra stick-to-it-iveness to make it till you reach your goal.

That is what being a life coach is all about: caring enough about people to want to help them reach the goals they set out to accomplish for themselves. I feel honored and privileged when I am chosen to help someone follow their dreams and achieve them. If you would like to find out more about what a life coach does, visit my coaching page at: www.Real-Life-Institute.com/coaching.html

I encourage you to choose something important to you and just take the steps to go and do it. You’ve probably wasted more energy thinking about it than it would take step by step to actually make it happen!

For more articles and tools to help you move ahead, visit http://www.Real-Life-Insitute.com/. I’ve just posted “Weight Your To-Do Decisions Daily” that may help you to prioritize and walk out your steps more effectively.

For more guidance and inspiration, you may wish to read Psalm 37. Here are a couple of excerpts…

The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. – Psalm 37:23, KJV
If the LORD delights in a man's way, he makes his steps
firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand. - Psalm 37:23-24, NIV