Life Coach in the Hot Seat: The Book that Changed my Life

The book that changed my life…

I am a huge reader.  OK scratch that.  I am a huge GLEANER. 

 Books are my mentors so many time I will find myself gravitating to certain types of books that are giving me the same message through different voices. 

 Write. Paint. Run a Business.   

Take time with God.

The book that is changing my life right now is

 “The Voice of Matthew” by Lauren F. Winner. 

  The paperback book looks unassuming.  

 You would probably not think that is contains the book of Matthew from the New testament of the Bible. 

 It is rocking my world right now. 

  I am reading this section of the Bible in a way I have not read it in a very long time.  Reading the Bible not simply out of obligation or to find answers to the current uncontrollable circumstance.  It is leaving me rethinking and hoping for more and letting go and striving for less and being at peace and forgiving in ways that I have not done in a long time.   

The commentary Winner presents is poetry and a taskmaster at the same time.

 

I feel like I am falling in love again.   

With God. With my life.  And my husband and children.  With me.

What book is changing your life lately?   

Post in the comments or leave a link there. I will come by and say ‘hello’

Life Coach in the Hot Seat: Life Advice for my Children

Full disclosure. 

 I have had the chance to try my hand at parenting twice.   

Once as a 20 year old and once as a 37 year old.   

Clearly the 37 year old has figured some things out – thank God.  

 The 20 year old had no family support and was truly a baby when she was getting started though she did not realize it.  I could almost change this question and write a letter to that 20 year old mother.

Here are some thoughts that I feel like have held the test of time in both settings:

1.       God extends a ton of mercy and grace in the areas where you have made mistakes with your kids.  I can see that I was trying to figure out how to be a grown up at the same time as trying to be a mother and man oh man.  I just feel like I am better at this things now.  I don’t take it personally when my child gets angry and says she doesn’t like me.  I have a vision for my children’s future and part of my job as a parent is to teach them about good and bad influences in the world in the areas of people and places and circumstance they do not need to get mixed up in.

2.       God helps you to raise your children.  When I had no idea how to handle a situation the bible was very helpful for teaching me how to love to be patient to be kind in the midst of terrible twos and tweens and teens and even as a grow into adulthood (though I will admit this stage if even harder because you are watching how all that mothering plays out).

3.        Apologize for the mistake you have made, are making and continue to make but DO NOT become a doormat to your child’s out of line behaviors or attitude toward you.  There is a reason why love is sometimes tough

4.       Discipline and boundaries = love just like hugs and kisses do

What are some of your time tested truths from parenthood?  

 Share them in the comments or add a link to your post below

Life Coach in the Hot Seat: How I Manage My Time

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How do I manage my time and structure my day?

I usually wake up about 430am.  Without an alarm.  I quietly brush my teeth and wash my face and let the first thoughts come.  Usually it is a to do list.  I walk down my stairs to the kitchen and I make a cup of coffee.  I try my best to remain in the silence… drink it in.  I try to move about with minimal light.  

I walk to the living room and sit on my couch and I will pick up my Bible and a prayer devotion I am working.

 I have a hard time coming up with the words to pray

  so I will either pray along with the Psalms or I will help a book like “Power of a Praying Wife” guide my prayer time.  I read a chapter from the Bible – right now I am in the Book of Matthew.  I am using a bible from the Voice project that has comments from Jewish scholars that help me to read the bible not like a 21 century self centered reader but closer to how it was meant to be read – sometimes it works and I get the purity of life as not all about ME.

I will look at email and check Facebook to check out what my friends and family are up to.  The alarm goes off upstairs, first for my husband, then for my daughter.  I unplug and prepare breakfast and lunches and talk with each of them trying my hardest not to feel rushed.

Then the rush is on

Drop off at school

Rush to work

Go go go with the Primary Classroom I work in at a local Montessori school

After school program

Pick up my daughter

Head home

Dinner and an episode of “Cake Boss” or “The Middle” with family

Gym (sometimes)

Wind down

Homework

Bedtime for my daughter

Then something for the business – either creating or marketing or both

I have learned over the years with my business to try to keep it 

as clean and clear as possible.  

 For me tweeting and facebooking and networking online all hours of the day and night does not work for me and does not honor what I teach. 

 I want to be in the moment.   

If I am with you having coffee, I am not checking my phone and if I am I will let you know upfront that I will need to.  If I am on the phone I am not multitasking – which means I will not pick up the phone if I am in the middle of something.  If I am at work with my employer she does not need to tell me to put my phone away.  These choices (yep there are CHOICES and maybe not for everyone) keep me aligned with the person I choose to be and I present to the world.

What about you? 

What does your day look like?  

 Are there some routines that need to be tweaked or revamped?  Post your link below if you are a blogger and I will be sure to come by.

Life Coach in the Hot Seat: The Most Creative Present I've Ever Received

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The most creative present I’ve ever received…

The first thing that came to mind is a box of Golden Books that I received as a Christmas present.  I was about 8 years old and I loved to read.  Most of my books would come from the library.  So this was very special to me for a couple of reasons:

1.       There was a collection of about 10 or 15

2.       They were mine to keep

3.       They were my very own.  

The third reason is important to mention because I am the oldest of 4 children.  And pretty much every year due to modest resources, we would receive presents from Santa that had ALL OF OUR NAMES on the tag in the ‘to’ section.  To have a this collection all to myself… well something about it felt like I was being treated like a big kid.

                              

Years later when I would read bios of creatives who I admire, they would mention the name “Mary Blair” as someone who inspired them.    Her name came up A LOT.  One day I decided to find out who Mary Blair was.  Lo and behold she was the illustrator of many of the books in the Golden Books series, many of the ones that I remember as loved as a child. 

I picked up a treasury collection of Mary Blair’s work recently and was immediately reminded of another reason I loved this collection of books:  the illustrations.  Page after page of joy and whimsy… the things I craved and continue to pray in my quest for a fulfilling life.

What about you? 

 Share in the comments your most creative present or post a link and I will come by to check it out.