Archive for March 2010

Introducing guest blogger—and lovely client—Jen Antila. She is full of life and a poster child for following your joy! Joy isn’t something she even seems to “choose,” though; she simply embodies it and lives it. During our coaching relationship, Jen courageously made the leap from her corporate job (which didn’t bring her joy) into the world as an entrepreneur (where she knew joy would abound!). Watch Jen’s bold adventure unfold as she captures it all in her blog.

 
“To inhale Paris preserves the soul”—Victor Hugo

I went to Paris with five dreams in mind…
To reconnect, to fall in love, to unwind
To figure out my future career dreams
To begin new plans and create new schemes.

After two days, I had a choice to make
Pick three of the five – or fun forsake.
I chose to defer making future career plans
I chose my husband and fun – as Paris demands!

I engaged with Michelle upon my return
I was the student, ready to learn. Read more »

When was the last time you experienced great customer service at a restaurant? Or the last time a service professional went over the top to help you out? How about the time someone did something really nice for you, just to make your life a little easier?

Most importantly, though: When was the last time you told someone how much you appreciated their extra special service or their over-the-top help?

Joy is like a boomerang

Within 24 hours I was reminded that the key to joy in your own life is to share joy with others. It’s a cycle: Dish it out, it comes back to you. Like the Law of Attraction states—put good energy out there and watch it come back like a boomerang.

Bill and I have a favorite deli near our house. And every time we visit, we’re greeted by Read more »

You know how it’s so easy to talk about “surface” issues with people; about the stuff that doesn’t really matter? Well, with my grandparents, Rollie and Doris, it’s the complete opposite. All throughout my life with them, I’ve had the pleasure of going deep and being ‘real’ during every single interaction. What a gift!

And what a thrill it has been for me to include Bill in on this joy and share life together as couples. The four of us have recently developed a little tradition a few nights each winter that we call our “Fireside Chats.” On these nights, Bill and I bring over dinner and enjoy a candlelight meal at the kitchen table with our two favorite elders, discussing the latest and sharing news about what’s happening in our lives.

Then we move downstairs for our ‘chat,’ where my grandpa has a semi-circle of four chairs set up around a roaring fire for us to begin.

Man, these two have the market cornered on sweetness, and if you need any supporting documentation or want to be inspired, just go here!

Master communicators

My grandparents both grew up in Scandinavian homes, where not much was ever shared Read more »

Editor’s Note: Introducing Following Your Joy’s first guest blogger! The honor goes to my favorite guy in the whole world—my husband, my cheerleader, my best friend, my soulmate, my live-in comedian, my fellow joy-follower, Bill Stimpson.

A new lesson for me is that gratitude and joy go hand-in-hand. Where there is joy, gratitude is always present. And when I come from a place of gratitude, joy will certainly follow. After seeing this idea in writing now, I feel a bit silly making such a simple announcement!

But until this past week, though, I never really understood it.

I don’t know that it’s possible to live a life that is joyful in all moments, but that doesn’t stop me from trying. Just like everyone else, I have those rough days, or sometimes rough stretches of days, when joy seems like a foreign concept. I recently had a particularly challenging week, culminating in a Friday that I thought would never end. However, it all changed in an instant, with a simple expression of gratitude.

An office getaway

That day, I needed to get away from the office for lunch. So along with a few of my co-workers, we Read more »

A few years back, Bill and I attended a Treasure Mapping workshop. This class involved creating a vision board—a creative and fun way to set the intention for what you desire in life. And this new and softer method of goal-setting was a breath of fresh air for me.

Putting together a vision board encouraged me to connect with my heart, while randomly pulling pictures, headlines, words, images, and phrases out of magazines that matched my vision, or, what I wanted in life. The task was simple in looking through magazines: Go for what grabbed my attention, what resonated with me, what beckoned my spirit.

Noticing what was “calling” to me

In paging through the magazines I brought to class, I was particularly drawn to a photo of my favorite guitar hero, Pete Townshend of The Who, in action. I knew I had to have him on my vision board. For me, he represented living life out loud and giving life all you’ve got. I love that!

Then, the word “backstage” jumped out at me. I had to Read more »