You may have read this email that  has been going around. I have used the exercise in workshops before, and found the 2 glasses of wine adds quite a nice twist!

Check it out to see if you are putting your priorities first!

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in
a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 glasses of
wine…

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front
of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty

Mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the
jar.
He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between
the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They
agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of
course, the sand filled up everything else He asked once more if the jar
was full. The students responded with a unanimous ‘yes.’

The professor then produced two glasses of wine from under the table and
poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty
space between the sand. The students laughed.

Now, said the professor, as the laughter subsided, ‘I want you to
recognise that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the
important things; your family, your children, your health, your friends,
and your favourite passions; things that if everything else was lost and only
they remained, your life would still be full.’

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house,
and your car. The sand is everything else; the small stuff.

If you put the sand into the jar first,’ he continued, ‘There is no room
for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life . If you spend all
your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the
things that are important to you.’

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with
your children. Take time to get medical check-ups. Take your partner out  to
dinner. Play another 18. Do one more run down the ski slope. There will
always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the
golf balls first; the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest
is just sand.’

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the wine
represented.

The professor smiled. ‘I’m glad you asked. It just goes to show you that
no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of
glasses of wine with a friend.’

Baby Ainsley Elizabeth was born on Thursday morning. We’ve spent the last few days visiting Mom, Dad and little Ainsley in the hospital.

And, it’s hard to say how I’m feeling about it exactly. Everyone expects me to be SO excited. And, I am thrilled. She is very cute. And I’m very glad to see my daughter and her husband so happy.

But, I haven’t got the ooey, gooey, mushy feelings - yet. I was worried about that. You know - new grandparents that were previously all grown up and “normal” start talking silly and gushing about the grandchild. Everyone seems to expect me to turn into one of those……

I’m not even really sure what I expected. I know I don’t feel “old’ enough to be a grandma. They’re grey and wrinkled and sit in rocking chairs, aren’t they? I’m feeling a little guilty about not feeling a need to hold her constantly. I guess I never have been much of a cuddly kind of person.

I always said I liked my kids more the older they got. To me, a 4 year old is a lot more fun than a 4 day old, or 4 month old.

I guess maybe, I’m still just feeling like me. How ’bout that?

And, I am pretty proud.

Wow! the following comes from the Hopi Indian Nation and I came across it on one of my coaching networks. It is so relevant to where we are in the world right now, I wanted to pass it along. It is wonderfully inspiring and speaks to the responsibility that each of us has to create change.

Enjoy & reflect:
Reading from Hopi Nation

“You have been telling the people that this is the Eleventh Hour.

Now you must go back and tell the people that this is the Hour.

And there are things to be considered:

Where are you living?

What are you doing?

What are your relationships?

Are you in right relation?

Where is your water?

Know your garden.

It is time to speak your Truth.

Create your community.

Be good to each other.

And do not look outside yourself for the leader.

This could be a good time!

There is a river flowing now very fast.

It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid.

They will try to hold on to the shore.

They will feel they are being torn apart, and they will suffer greatly.

Know the river has its destination.

The elders say we must let go of the shore, push off into the middle of the river, keep our eyes open, and our heads above the water.

See who is in there with you and celebrate.

At this time in history, we are to take nothing personally.

Least of all, ourselves.

For the moment that we do, our spiritual growth and journey comes to a halt. The time of the lone wolf is over. Gather yourselves!

Banish the word struggle from your attitude and your vocabulary.

All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration.

We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.”

The Elders, Oraibi, Arizona Hopi Nation”

A fellow coach, an American, wrote the following poem about the election of Barak Obama. In it she expresses gratitude for the gift of democracy and the message of hope and possibility that this election and it’s outcome have sparked for the world. It is truly moving and inspirational, and I wanted to share it with you.

GRATITUDE …

I hate cynicism
It’s small and judgmental and lives in a narrow box
On the contrary, I am, tonight,
a first snow night,
inspired.

Yesterday was a day of watching the opposite of cynicism
and finding myself expanded and grateful.

Spending the day at the polls,
observing humanity parade by.
Some aware of the privilege they enjoy living in a democracy.
Others not quite sure, treading softly,
like on new snow, feeling their way.

At the end of my polling obligations
I drove a young Native woman home from her journey to cast a vote.
We talked about her diagnosis,
her adjustments to living with cancer.
And my heart cracked open at her conviction,
in spite of her weariness, to let her voice be heard.

And finally watching the election results with friends,
ready to celebrate a victory for each of us and our nation.
Any trace of the cynicism that eight years of missteps
had wound around my heart
melted
as I listened and watched Barak Obama speak to the world.

For I saw a man who had transcended the difficulties life had presented him –
Raised by a single mother, her skin white to his black, who died much too early,
The lack of a father’s presence
And a country divided and unable to see it’s way out of the snare of cynicism and greed.

He had a vision. And so he stepped up to lead us.
He had a vision that carried hope and wisdom;
courage and commitment.
One that included all the people,
united in their passion for the possibility
the future could hold for us and the children of tomorrow.

The opposite of cynicism.
“Yes, we can.”
Which must be preceded by “Yes, I can.”
That midwife of your dreams.
Confidently holding a vast space of possibility.
Given nourishment, it blossoms and connects
with similar hopes and courage
and becomes “Yes, we can.”

And so I’m grateful
to be alive at this moment
and a part of the interconnected web
of smiling, tearful faces,
all linked by a dream,
too long asleep.
Now once again awakened.

Has “Yes, I can” visited you in the night?
What dreams are calling to be born in your waking life?
Resist the thorny branches of cynicism and No.
Call a prayer of gratitude to the Source of your inspiration,
and kiss awake the dream.

 Written by

Victoria FittsMilgrim, PCC

True Life Coaching & Retreats

www.truelifecoach.net

Thank you for sharing this powerful message in such a beautiful way, Victoria!

I don’t know why, but for some reason as I was laying awake in bed at about 2:30 this morning, I thought about the desiderata. Remember that poem that was popular in the late 60’s, early 70’s? I looked it up this morning, and it is still so relevant. So, I pass it along to you!

 desiderata - by max ehrmann
Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant, they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love, for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is perennial as the grass.

Take kindly to the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

Max Ehrmann c.1920

Wow. I really wasn’t sure I was ready for this.

Over the past few years, I’ve watched my friends become grandparents and laughed at them. I would tease them that as soon as their grandbaby was born, their minds would start turning to mush! They’ve all told me that it is an experience like no other.

Now it’s my turn. My daughter and her husband are expecting their first baby at the end of January.

Yikes! I guess I’m going to test out my theory. And, I’m really kind of excited

I just watched Randy Pausch’s “Last Lecture” a couple of days ago. Man o’Man that is a powerful video!

You may have heard of him: he was a professor at the Carnegie Mellon University who gave his “Last Lecture” to the University this past fall. The “Last Lecture” is traditionally a chance for professors to give the lecture they’d love to give if it were to be their last. For Randy, it really was. He found out just weeks before the lecture that he had incurable pancreatic cancer.

That lecture has now become famous. It has been watched by millions of viewers on YouTube, was reprised on Oprah, and has been made into a best selling book. Of course I’d heard of him, but only just took the time to watch the video (all 104 minutes!).

Randy died a few weeks ago, but has left an enduring legacy in his message about fulfilling childhood dreams that he wrote for his kids and delivered in that lecture.

One of the many things that he said that really stuck with me was that you can decide if you want to be a Tigger or an Eyeore. That is so true!! You have the choice to be happy right now, today. Or the choice to be mopey, sad, and downtrodden.

I’ll take the bouncy, cheerful, fun loving Tigger any day!!

Take the time to watch the video. You’ll be glad you did. Here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo

Ok, I know everyone has been talking about it, but I finally got to see the movie “The Bucket List” this past weekend. What a good story. Definitely a few good laughs. And, some really meaty “coachy” type topics!

I challenge you to create your own bucket list: What do you want to do before you kick the bucket?

I always start my goal setting workshops with an exercise and challenge to create a list of 101 things you want before you die. What would you love to do? Be? See? Learn? Contribute?

The things on your list can be as simple as reading a book that’s been meaning to get to forever. Or as crazy as you can make it: would that be sky diving? Performing your own song on stage? What would really get you excited?

Keep your bucket list close at hand. You will find that you will almost unconsciously start completing the items on your list, and be adding new ones all the time.

It’s fun! It’s motivating! It’s freeing.

And, finally: I think the two most important questions from the show went something like: Did you find joy? Did you bring joy to others?

I’d love to hear some of the things on your Bucket List! I invite you to share by clicking on the “comments” link below.

Happy Groundhog Day! And, welcome to another 6 weeks of winter.

It’s official, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, got frightened and ran back into his den, and we get another 6 weeks of winter.

I’m thinking that we are a lot like that groundhog. How many things to do we run and hide from, only to have them persist for much longer than if we had dealt with it at the beginning?

What about when we are frightened by how big a shadow our presence casts? If we acknowlege our own bigness, and recognize that our shadow brings value, how much better off would the world be if we didn’t run and hide?

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.” This is a wonderful quote from Marianne Williamson that is often attributed to Nelson Mandela. I think there is a lot of truth in it.

“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called “Opportunity” and its first chapter is New Year’s Day. ” Edith Lovejoy Pierce

I didn’t make any resolutions on New Year’s day. I hadn’t had time, during the Christmas rush, to really, deeply consider what I wanted for myself in 2008.

It’s sort of simmering and stewing. I have this clean slate and I have the opportunity to fill it however I choose. And, I want to choose something powerful and meaningful. I can feel that there is something below the surface wanting to come out.

I have some practical, specific goals that are easy to define, but there is something that is eluding me.

Today is the first full week of January, and time to put our plans into action. So, my first action step will be to spend time each day contemplating the question “what do I really want?” until I have the answer.

What do I really want?

What do you really want?

How are we going to fill our pages?