Where did the bricks go?

So it has been a while since I posted on my blog about my bricks. Well, someone (me) came along and dumped all my bricks in a pile and then came along (me again) and added even more bricks to the pile. The last few weeks (or months) have been about me sorting those bricks and then laying out the ones that were the most important and time sensitive. That being said, all my ICA requirements have been completes, submitted and marked as competent and complete. WHOOHOO!!!!! I am scheduled to graduate as a certified professional coach on Dec 7, 2009. That also happens to be my 13 wedding anniversary.

Now that those ICA bricks, which had been a priority for me for the last few months, are laid and well mortared it is time to chose what I will be focusing on next. Actually, I already know. I attended the first weekend of a 3 weekend training course, 9 months all together, in being a Modern Day Priestess. Since I began my business, I have been calling myself a spiritual alchemist. A spiritual alchemist, to me, is someone who turns people into gold by supporting them in creating their own spiritual practice. This training will support me in better defining for me what my spiritual practice looks and feels like. It will help support me in defining that for me business as well. That is what new bricks will be about – laying a foundation to support my spirituality.

So here we go…
Journal every day
Prayer every day
Meditate every day
Speak my sutra, mastermind requests and the Tao verse of the week everyday
Last one – finish reading the book Bringers of the Dawn

These bricks will be the foundation I build my house upon. They will be well and thoroughly mortared into my life before I place weight and stress upon them. I desire to have this be a very solid foundation indeed. I look forward to seeing where this path leads me

Who’s life is it anyways?

Have you ever been going along in your life, it being a perfectly ordinary day, and suddenly felt overwhelming sadness, anger, or a feeling of being upset for no apparent reason? These unexplained moments of extreme emotions are our mind and body telling us something. Are you listening?

How often do you take the time to stop and see if your life is going the way you want? I know for most of my life I only stopped and looked when I ran smack into a brick wall made of what I didn’t want in my life. I can tell you from experience those are not the times to be looking at your life and seeing if you are on track. In those times, you almost always have a skewed view of where you are and where you want to go. How many of us look at our lives regularly and think about what we want and where we want to go? Mostly we think in terms of what we want to own or how much money we want to earn. How often does anyone look at what makes them happy, sad, excited, mad or emotional?

When we do stop and look at where we want to go and what we want from life, do we ever consider that maybe what we “think” we want is not even what we truly want? So often we are told when growing up what we should do, how much money we should earn, and even what will make us happy. Rarely do we stop and think “Is this what I really want?” It is only after we have gotten all that we were told will make us happy, comfortable, and secure that we stop and look. Usually we are looking because we have gotten all those things and we are still not content. We are restless, stressed, miserable, and plain disgusted with what is going on inside of us and around us. Then we look. Again, not the best time to look.

So I challenge you this week. Take some time when you are relaxed and unstressed, to look around you and see if you are where you want to be. Then examine if it is really something that you wanted or something that you were told you should want. Did you put aside a dream, vision or passion to get where you are? Is there something missing and you don’t know what? Here are some questions to help you on your way.

1. What do I dream about, or have a passion for?
2. When in my life have I been the happiest?
3. How often do I take time to relax and just be?
4. What do I think will make me happy and why?
5. How is what I think will make me happy tied into my passion or dreams?

In love and light

Celina

Brick by brick – recommitting.

What happen when you lost track of where you’re at and where you want to go? What do you do when you are so caught up in the doing that you have forgotten why you are doing things?

I have been so focused on getting things done and fulfilling the commitments that I forgot why I am doing this stuff. I want to coach people and I want to make a living at it. I love coaching! All the other stuff I am doing, blogs, ICA, marketing, seminars and tele-seminars, all of these are so I can coach as many people as possible. So I can work with them to make permanent lasting changes in their lives. AND so that when I do that I can afford the lifestyle I want.

With all the learning and scrambling to fulfill graduation requirements, I lost sight of what it is I want to do: coach. So I will recommit to that – to doing what I love and making good money at it. So as you are doing your brick, building a solid foundation and filling in the cracks, make sure to check in with yourself and recommit to the thing that got you passionate in the first place. Don’t lose track of the “Why” you are doing what you are doing.

Check in for last week

Created a structure sessions and not the ten week coaching intensive. Listed ten week intensive on craig’s list. Created outline for creativity lectures. Checked into the learning leader labs.

Aug 10, 2009

Formalize structure for session and implement. Fleshed out outline and send out letters of “intent.” Get a handle on overwhelm by write down commitments and “to do’s.”

In love and light

Celina

Ooops! Losing focus and direction.

So as I was reading my bricks for last week, I realized that I totally lost track of most of the bricks I had committed to last week. I know I did many things, some them actually for my business. I’m just not sure what and why most of them weren’t the bricks I had committed too. So instead of using this as an opportunity to beat myself for all I didn’t get done, I’m going to use this to look at what was I most committed to instead.

What did I do? I spent time with my husband. I got homework and housework done. I did get approval for my research topic (that was a brick). I coached clients. I listen to some tele-seminars. I took some of the last few classes I need for ICA. I got lots and lots of laundry done! None of these are meant to be excuses. I looked at what I did to see what I was more committed to getting done than the bricks I had planned on. So why was I more committed to these other things? What was it about these things that sent all of the bricks I committed to flying from my focus? I do know that my ICA requirement have been foremost and prominent in my mind. Anything that was outside the focus got shifted to second place.

We are always committed to something. Everything we do during the day, all the actions we do, are because we are committed to something. Whatever actions we are doing show what we are committed to. So whatever you are doing, ask yourself “What am I committed in this moment?” and “Is this commitment going to get me what I want?” Also remember life is about balance, so when you realize that in that moment you are committed to relaxing and having fun, that is perfectly OK! Enjoy it.

So onto this week’s bricks. Some might be familiar.

Aug 3, 2009

Create structure for sessions and ten week coaching intensive. List ten week intensive on craig’s list and other free listing sites. Create outline for creativity lectures. Check into the learning leader labs.

In love and light

Celina

How sturdy is that brick foundation?

What makes a foundation sturdy? The width of it. The wider it is, the more you can build on top of it. If it is only one layer deep then you will only build so high before it collapses. If it is two layers deep than you can go higher. So the higher you want to build, the sturdier and wider you have to make your foundation.

So how do you make your foundation wider? By practice and incorporating your brick into your life. The more times you do your “networking” brick, the wider that foundation becomes. The more time and practice you place into your writing, the deeper and sturdier that foundation becomes. The more you use your “responding to situations and events” brick instead of the “reacting” one, the more solid, deep and complete that foundation will be. Remember, a foundation that will support you for the rest of your life is not thrown together in one day. It is built layer upon layer, one day at a time. One moment at a time. Keep in the work. Keep in practice. Keep in action.

Check in from last week’s brick

I sent out the message for my research paper topic. Waiting for approval or renegotiation. I got as far as I could with my homework and will finish before the graduation requirement. I have taken some classes, those that I needed and were offered last week.

July 27, 2009

This week is all about business. Create structure for sessions and ten week coaching intensive. List ten week intensive on craig’s list and other free listing sites. Create a letter to send out about creaticity lecture to local college. Get ready for supervised coaching starting next week. Yikes!

Who gets to choose?

We all have choice.

Have you ever awakened from a dream and been confused because the dream was so real you didn’t realize you were dreaming? Perhaps you were woken up because your body moved in response to something happening in that dream. To your mind and body, unconsciousness and consciousness were the same. I listened to the great lecture on www.ted.com (Check out this site. Lots of great ideas.) about the human being’s capacity to generate what Dan Gilbert calls synthetic happiness. He describes this phenomenon as what happens to people after some life changing event or missed opportunity. Afterward, these people are as happy as they were before these events. “It worked out for the best,” or “I’m so much better off now than I was before.” Do these statements sound familiar? These are statement of synthetic happiness. Please check out the lecture to get a much better idea of what this encompasses. One of his points was for some reason we believe synthetic happiness is somehow less real than “true” happiness.

OK. What does all this have to do with choice? I’m so very glad you asked! The greatest gift the human species has been given is our intelligence and the ability to weigh options and choose. Even when someone feels like every choice around them is being taken away, you still have the ability to choose how you view that situation. Our capacity for survival and our ability to thrive stem from our ability to view situations and events from different perspectives. That is the choice we make. We can always, always choose to see events in another light, to switch our perspectives, to think outside the box, to ask someone for a different insight. That is our greatest gift.

So why do we choose anything but happiness? The mind does not know the difference between dreaming and reality. So why not dream your happiness? Create the choice of happiness every day. See it every day. Feel it every day. Dwell on it. Daydream on it. Your mind and body will not know the difference and your reality will conform to that belief. We will create our “synthetic” happiness that will feel real and true to us. What we think about, we become. So you get to choose your happiness? You do! Choose wisely.

In love and light

Celina

Monday, Monday. How’s your brick foundation?

How is your foundation coming? Are your bricks well placed and fitting together nicely? Are you adding the mortar to hold them and keep them together?

So today I’d like to talk about the mortar that is holding your brick foundation together. What is the purpose of the mortar between the brick? It creates a more solid and firm wall. It helps hold the bricks in place. A wall made with bricks and mortar will last longer than a wall made of just bricks.

So in the terms of your life, what it the mortar? It is the habits, structures, and support mechanisms that keep your foundations in place. The point of us laying out bricks is to change our lives. If you just do the bricks (the actions) without placing the mortar (the habits) our foundation will crumble sooner. So this week, as you are working at your brick, look and see what habits and structure you want to develop for those actions that will continue to support your forward life movement. Progress in made one focused brick at a time. This week be aware of the intent behind those focused actions. Put some mortar between your bricks!

I have been working on my homework fairly regularly this last week. I did not do so as often as I could have and I did get  a lot done and still met the other commitments I had. I am happy with how it is going.

July 20, 2009

This week I have several classes I would like to take to get those finished up. I am on track to finish by the end of the month for my homework. OK maybe a little lagging behind in the race and I am still capable of crossing that finish line. I still have a large amount of time that I need to commit to to get this done. Also, I would like to have decided and got approval for my research topic for next week.

Way cool! ICA graduation here I come!

Just another manic brick day!

It’s Monday again! How’s y’all doing?

You know what day it is, right? Monday, the day we check in and see how our foundation is coming. This foundation we are building by laying down our bricks down one at a time. A couple of things to ask yourself before we move onto the check in. Look and see if the bricks you are choosing are moving toward your bigger goals and dreams. Check and see if what you are choosing to do is turning into busy work. Make sure your bricks reflect focused action toward a certain outcome or commitment. Check in time!

It’s all about ICA homework for me. It will be for a while. These last few weeks I’ve really got a handle on what I still need to do and how long it is taking. 21 modules left at about 2 to 3 hours a piece. I started this system that is working well. In this system I am transcribing my hand written notes to a word document. This is taking a long time for me to do. I don’t type very fast and I’m not a touch typist – hunt and peck for me. When I realized this I asked if I really needed to transcribe the notes and was I making more work for myself for nothing. I checked in to see if I was continuing this way just because I started this way and wanted everything to be consistent. What I realized was that by transcribing the notes I was revisiting and reinforcing what I had learned, sometimes over a year ago. So even though it is taking longer than I would like, I’m going to continue this way.

July 13, 2009

This week’s brick is again homework. I intend to graduate in December. This is one step on that path. My goal is all homework done by the end of July, except for the notes for classes I have yet to take. All classes done by August.

So where are you at? Where are you going? I would love to hear.

Same old brick.

Building your new life one brick at a time

I really dislike having to do the same brick over and over again. So what am I learning in that process. The main thing I’m learning is that I really procrastinate a lot. So what is it about procrastination that attracts me so much? Why do I love to put off until tomorrow what I can do today? How can I shift my perspective around this?

I love deadlines and they support me in getting my work done. I have always worked well under pressure. However the deadlines work best when imposed by others. As I’m writing this I’m realizing that by procrastinating I gain super clarity on what needs to be done for the next day or two. It helps me focus my energy and thoughts on one thing. Much of my day is spent multitasking – going from one thing to another as challenges arise to be solved in that moment. I spent much of my working career putting out one fire after another, so that when I finally sit down at my desk with nothing urgent on my plate, I literally don’t know what to do next. I know I can multitask well and I also know it robs my of focus and energy. These are great insights and how can I use this knowledge moving forward.

What actions and structures will support me in gaining that clarity and focus I achieve when under pressure without applying that pressure? I’m thinking that a daily list about what is important for each day, both for my day job and my business, will support that structure. Doing and completing one task at a time will also support me. Allowing the  structure of my day to support breathing space, so that I’m not constantly running around doing things in every moment of the day. Remembering to schedule the household tasks will also support me. That way I am not robbing myself of my breathing space to complete the household tasks. Hmmmmm. I’m like the sound of this. I’ll let you know how it worked for me next week.

July 6th

So onto this week’s brick. I’ve been working on my home work for ICA. This week I did not achieve what I set out and I should have looked more closely at what was available for me for time. I also had more home work than I had orginially realized. It is this same brick again for next Monday, more homework to get caught up before classes begin again.

How is everyone doing on their bricks?

In love and light

Celina

Building life one brick at a time.

So here we are at Monday again. Time to check in with where we are at and where we want to go. It was an interesting week, lots of unforeseen changes and lots of developments. I’m still processing a lot of them and deciding on how to move them into my life. And it’s all good!

So check in for last week. OK. Let me just say I bit off more than I could chew and that’s good to know. I mostly spent the time learning about what to do with the social network marketing stuff and how to use it effectively in my business. I have the beginnings of a plan for that and will flesh it out more as I gain more understanding of where to go and how. I did not check into in person groups and I have and idea of what’s going on with the resistance there.  I am mostly looking for a more spiritual based networking groups and I’m not sure where to look. That being said I will continue to look for these types of marketing groups and use the ones I am a part of more effectively. So on to this week….

6-22-09
These next 3 weeks are all about International Coaching Academy and homework. We go on a 2 week break starting next week and I would like to be, if not all caught up, at least 75% caught up on the homework for my tele-classes. That’s in the neighborhood of 20 modules to do. I did not have a system up until now so things are all over the place. By the time classes I want to be at least completed with 15 of the modules. So that is my brick for the next 3 weeks – 5 modules a week on average.

Thanks all for your support! I look forward to hearing where you are and where you’re going!