When I listen to instrumental music, I run imaginary movies and slides shows in my mind filled with images from my own life’s autobiographical images inventoried in my memories.

So today – I offer this link to Rob Thomas’s “Little Wonders”.  Watch and listen to the lyrics as Rob Thomas’ singing accompanies them.  For you, what are “these Little Wonders” he sings of?

For me, the words encourage me to let go of any “stuff” that’s maybe weighing me down, that I’ve been hard on myself about, staying clear about what’s important to me everyday, “being there” with an open heart, free from judgment for those people (family, friends, clients) who need me – and truly in the bigger picture, life if short and I want to make the most of every moment for myself and the people I love.

Little Wonders

For me, I always have an abundance of optimism when November 1 arrives.  I don’t know why, but November and December seem like these monumental exciting months – perhaps “bigger” than other months, but the truth is these months have the same amount of days and hours they’ve always had relative the traditional methods of calendaring that have existed since the adoption of the Gregorian calendar in 1582.  Yikes!

In the spirit of his famous book, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, author Dr. Stephen R. Covey suggests “defining a Mission for YOUR Holidays.”  Since I am a long time proponent of the “7 Habits” (now there’s an 8^th Habit, too) – this really resonates with me.

Start by determining what’s Important and Not Important for your Holidays. You may want to use Covey’s Quadrant Time Management Matrix as a planning tool as you think about your Holidays and the multitude of Tasks we typically add to our already busy/full schedules which exist without Holidays.

Imagine 3 Jumbo size ornaments represent these Top 3 Experience Priorities.  Put these in the box first. They’re so big; you can always see them, no matter what else you add to the box.  (And remember to look at the box from all angles/sides, etc. because it is clear.)

Next I suggest (in the following order) 4 Planning Tools/To Do’s Involved with the Holiday Mission and Planning Process.  (In reality these belong in your Holiday Planning Notebook – to be discussed later)

1. Holiday Calendar – create this first, enter as much as you can.
2. Holiday Budget(s) – supports task/events in your Holiday Calendar
3. Holiday Master Shopping List(s) – supports Holiday Budget and Holiday Calendar
4. 2011 Business and Personal Planning (YES! Do it!  If you haven’t already, start now so you are thoughtful and not hasty. Put some very thoughtful energy into your vision of 2011 YOUR new year.)

Now – check out this table – broken into 12 sections.  The 4 Planning Tools/To Do’s appear in order, top to bottom on the left.  The middle section lists some suggestions for what details need to be expanded upon/specifics considered (talked about, time allocated for) while creating each of the 4 Planning Tools/To Do’s.   The right section of the table expands upon the details of the middle section even further as you continue get more specific, purposeful and intentional about your Holiday Planning.

Imagine these 4 Planning Tools/To Do’s are represented by 4 large clear bags.  Put these in the box as a second layer (the layers will not be level, they’re not supposed to be – remember – FLEXIBLE).  You can still see the Jumbo’s and you’ve now added 4 Planning Tools/To Do’s “Containers”.  Because they all have to work together, they can be contained and visualized in the clear box together.  (And remember to look at the box from all angles/sides, etc. because it is clear.)

Imagine the suggestions in the middle section are the equivalent of Medium size ornaments.  You could put these in their respective large bags first and then in the box as a third layer, but because the box is clear and the bags are clear, you can see the ornaments inside and their varying sizes, thus allowing you flexibility in visualizing/visioneering how the Holiday Mission and Plans are fitting together and working together inside the box.   (And remember to look at the box from all angles/sides, etc. because it is clear.)

• *Self Care – in my planning and visualizing, I imagine a tiara ornament represents my Self Care.  It ranks high on my list of details to get into the calendar first, right in there with the Top Priorities, because if I’m not at my best, feeling great, I’m of less value to the people in my life I’m on the same Holiday Mission page with.

• Flexible also mean there may be a couple things/tasks you’ve got to include with your planning that you are NOT fond of.  This is part of being both flexible and on the same page with your family, friends or extended family.  So, there’s space in the box for a couple of “unattractive” ornaments to represent these task.  Unattractive, yes; but necessary to include, yes.  There is room.

The clear box, the varying sizes of ornaments and the suggested ideas they represent provide space for visualization/visioneering and SHIFTING AROUND, sometimes unpredictably.   The 3 Jumbo Ornaments (TOP 3 PRIORITIES) – the one’s you put in first, remain in there because they’re your Jumbo’s, your priorities, big stuff in first.  The Large clear bags, the Medium and Small ornaments represent how specific, purposeful and intentional you can be about your Holiday Mission and Plans.  Combined in the clear box (noting it can be looked at from all angles/sides, etc. because it is clear.) they represent the Flexibility, the Shifting Around you can afford yourself as you explore and visioneer YOUR Holiday planning.

Holiday Planner/Notebook/Binder?  Yes, a great idea.  I have one.  I suggest you do too!

The 4 Planning Tools/To Do’s I refer to are all documents that can be stored in a Holiday Notebook. (Use Tools you already have – Outlook, Google, Yahoo, iPhone, etc. for calendars, Word, Excel, Money Management Software, etc. for budgets and lists).

There are so many Notebook/Binder options.  Create your own, or find one to buy.  Be creative, and use what works for you.

Put your Holiday Mission in the very front followed by your Top 3 Priorities and build your Holiday Visioneering and Planning Notebook from a great foundation of thoughtfulness about What Matters Most to YOU about YOUR Holidays.

An organizer friend of mine, Sandy Jones, reminded me recently why I keep my Holiday Notebook within reach ALL YEAR long.  Sandy wrote, “This binder allows you to keep all of your Holiday Planning in ONE Place.  Never again lose receipts or sales coupons, or dig through recipe card files and books, misplace your stamps, or be unprepared for last minute gifts or guests.  With a little upfront work you can be sure to be organized this season and for year’s to come!”

By taking the time to:

1.  Define YOUR Holiday Mission,

2.  Complete some thoughtful planning that supports YOU and YOUR Holiday mission,

3.  Visualizing and Visioneering how the parts of the plan will work together,

Intentionally, Purposefully, and Specifically, while allowing for Flexibility,

you will Successfully Navigate your TIME and PRIORITIES during the Holidays.

May it be joyous!

So what are you waiting for?

There’s so many ways you can Explore, Dream, and Discover.  With information so readily accessible on the web 24/7, pursuing your dreams, exploring and making discoveries only takes a few minutes a day.  Why not “sail away from the safe harbor” for a few minutes at a time?  Doing so via your laptop isn’t a trip too far away from safety.

In the long run, a few minutes per day extended over several days and into weeks or months can add up to a wonderful journey by which you might lay the foundation for bringing your dream to life.

Twenty years from now, you’ll be glad you did.

What are your endeavors?  And, when you list them, how committed to excellence are you, really?  When was the last time you treated yourself to a little quiet time to explore your endeavors and your commitments?

Several years ago, I discovered how powerful it is to provide ME with my own quiet time “or ME time” as a few friends have termed it, to explore my endeavors, my commitments, and my own personal growth.  As my ME time created space to have all sorts of conversations with myself, to read, and to understand my endeavors and commitments (to myself and others), it eventually lead me to hiring a Personal and Business Coach, which confirmed my long time desire to Coach people, too.  Now, I help people create their own valuable “ME time”.

Life Coaching can assist you in examining your commitments and chosen field(s) of endeavor(s) and through some “ME time” help you define your desired outcomes both personally and professionally.  The International Coach Federation Global Coaching Client Study notes the top two motivations for seeking coaching services are:

• Self-esteem/self-confidence (79 percent rated somewhat or very important); and
• Work/life balance (76 percent).

Other general motivations include:

• Relationships;
• Interpersonal skills;
• Communications skills, and
• Work performance.

What are the risks of asking for help?  Perhaps that the help will truly be helpful and eye opening and require the hard work of change.  Could be exciting, could be overwhelming, could be terrifying, right?

So how do you decide what kind of “help” you need or want?  How do you decide if a Life Coach is right for you?

First understand what coaching is NOT.  It’s not therapy or psychology.  Patrick Williams, former psychologist and founder of the Institute for Life Coach Training estimates that 80 percent of those seeing a therapist have no mental disorder.

While completing my Coach training, I heard a wonderful comparison.  Here’s my quick summary:  “Coaching is like architecture and Therapy is like archeology.  Coaches are trained to help YOU build YOU up, to move you forward in a positive direction to experience your fullest potential personally and professionally.  Therapists are health care professionals who are trained to “dig” or delve into the past, to study and diagnose your behavior and the reasons for its development.  While both Coaches and Therapists have professional relationships with clients, it is important to recognize this powerful difference.

At present, there are over 16,000 members of the International Coach Federation.  Compare this to the over 1 million practicing attorney in the U.S.  There are more than 100 Coaching Specialties available to people looking for Coaching.  We can be as specific or as general as our clients need us to be.

When you read this quote, what comes to your mind?  If you find any thoughts about revisions in your life, what are they?

Perhaps…

• Revising your personal or professional goals?
• Revising your stress level?
• Revising your communication style?
• Revising a specific relationship?

When I refer to revisions, I mean revise in a positive way.  We all have the desire to be better individuals in life.  Each day we are learning and growing, so the next day we are improved.  What steps can you take to create significant revision in your Life?

Working with a Life Coach will expedite your results.  In a study conducted by the International Coach Federation, coaching clients reported the following as a result of their investment in themselves, through Life Coaching:

• A higher level of self-awareness: 67.6%
• Smarter goal-setting: 62.4%
• A more balanced life: 60.5%
• Lower stress levels: 57.1%
• Self-discovery: 52.9%
• More self-confidence: 52.4%
• Improvement in quality of life: 43.3%
• Enhanced communication skills: 39.5%
• Project completion: 35.7%
• Health or fitness improvement: 33.8%
• Better relationships with boss or co-workers: 33.3%
• Better family relationships: 33.3%
• Increased energy: 31.9%
• More fun: 31.9%
• More income: 25.7%
• Stopped a bad habit: 25.7%
• Change in career: 24.3%
• More free time: 22.9%
• Increased profitability of business: 17.1%
• Started new business: 12.9%
• Empowered employees: 11.0%

Theodore Roosevelt

So – are you working hard at work worth doing, according to your definition of work worth doing or someone else’s?

This quote is one of my mother’s favorites, and often over the course of her 50-year career she stopped to ask herself if what she was working hard at doing was worth doing, by her definition.  Consequently, she ensured she made work choices where her working hard was at work worth doing.

Ask yourself:  If I’m not working hard at work worth doing, by my definition, what kind of work would I rather be doing?