Deb's Newsletter
Who Are You? |
July 10th, 2008 |
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EMPOWER YOURSELF Who Are You? “The soul knows everything. Be who you are and your life will transform forever.” Deepak Chopra Happy summer! Happy vacation! Happy days! Why do our one or two weeks of holidays go by in a flash, while sometimes one or two weeks at our jobs seem to drag on forever? Most of us LOVE our holidays. Why? Simply, because we get to take a break from our jobs and our routines, and kick back, relax and have some fun. We are happier, carefree, and calm. We get to “play”. We get to be “free’’. We get to enjoy. Most of all, we try to forget about all the day to day stuff that usually gets in our way of “having fun” the other 50 weeks a year. Just like a child at Christmas, we anxiously anticipate our vacation time. But, because we are creatures of habit, we often miss our routines and long for “normalcy”. You know what I mean – things that make us feel that we have a purpose, such as; our profession, playing an active role in our child’s’’ life, being a home-maker, a care-giver, a provider, a fitness freak, a member of a family, etc. It seems like all the things that we can’t wait to take a break from are the exact things that define us. Which brings me to the point of “what defines you?” In other words, who are you everyday? That is the key. Who authentically are you everyday? Are you someone who is completely different at work than you are at home? Are you someone else when you are on vacation? I’m not talking about having good days and bad days. We all have those. I’m talking about who are you and how do you want to be remembered? Don’t get me wrong! I realize that we have different personas and use different language and tones of voice depending on what external situation that we are in. That goes without saying. But, on a much higher, more authentic level, are you the same person all the time? I will use a personal example to help me explain: In my 20’s, who I was in my work setting was not remotely close to who I was in my home setting. This is common. This is a stage in life where we are just slowly starting to know who we are. I was defined by my job title and how much money I was making. In my 30’s, my worth was totally dependant on being a good Mother to my two young children. I was determined to be happy and fulfilled stay-at-home-mom. I soon realized that I needed more to my identity than “just a Mom”, and I experienced tremendous personal turmoil and guilt for going back to work. My 40’s were a decade of change. From the time I turned 40 up to now (a few years before 50), I have worked extremely hard to make changes in my life. These changes were rarely easy; more often than not, they were some of the hardest things that I have ever had to endure. But, on my path to getting to know the real me (being authentic), and striving for more harmony and happiness in my life, I knew I had to persevere through these time of change. I am in a really good place right now. I have faced a lot of my fears and insecurities and have learned to embrace change. I too like a certain amount of routine, but change is the spice of life. Additionally, I have learned that it is okay just to be me! I am who I am in almost every situation (yes, I’m still a work in progress). I am okay with the fact that I will not please everyone and everyone will not fall in love with me. I’m alright with that. I will continue to connect with the people who are good for me, and vice versa. So, that happy-go-lucky, carefree person that you are on your holidays can be you the remaining 50 weeks of the year. Maybe you won’t be hiking in the mountains or camping at a lake everyday, but you can be that happy-go-lucky person by being true to yourself. Work in the right career for you, work and play in a happy and positive environment, and most importantly, have some fun a long the way! Face your fears and make better choices. Embrace change! This Month… 1. Make a list of who you would like to be all the time, such as: kind, compassionate, good listener, good parent, supportive friend, funny, etc. 2. Post this list in an area that you will look at everyday – your day-timer, calendar, desk, wall, fridge. Empower Yourself – Try This: While you are on holidays, pay attention to or write down all the things that you love doing: camping, boating, hiking, not cooking, not cleaning, staying in hotels, sleeping in, relaxed meal schedule, etc. List everything! Hopefully, that was fun! Now, the hard part. Try to incorporate as many of things wonderful “holiday” things into your day to day routine. For example, if you love outdoor activities, schedule one night per week or one day on the weekend for these things. If you enjoy not cooking and / or cleaning, hire a house-keeper or cook, use a company that delivers weekly meals, or ask other family members for help. You get the idea. If we learn how to incorporate things that we love to do in our daily lives, we are usually much happier and productive. We are also nicer to be around! This is one step closer to being authentic. Thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter. As always, your continued support means a great deal to me. Remember, I am here to help support you in any way that I can. Just ask! I thought I would let you know of an up-coming workshop that I am facilitating at The Fort Gary Women’s Resource Center, called “Live Your Dream”. The workshop will be held at the Centre on Wednesday, July 23, 2008 from 6pm – 8pm. Participants will get a fresh perspective on what they want in their life and tools to turn this into reality. We will be creating personal Dream / Vision boards, and you get to take them home! All material for this workshop is included, and the best part is…it’s FREE! This is a women only event and you must pre-register by calling 477-1123. Space is limited, so call soon. If it is full, please leave your name on a waiting list as I will probably be doing more workshops there. Thanks! Hot summer blessings to all, Deb Fortier – Mentor For More Life Is What You Make It 204-257-4240 |
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Past Newsletters:
August 14th, 2008 - Forgiveness
July 10th, 2008 - Who Are You?
May 29th, 2008 - Want More?
May 1st, 2008 - Joy to The World
March 24th, 2008 - Got Ego?
More Past Newsletters