“So life’s year begins and closes;
Days though shortening still can shine;
What though youth gave love and roses;
Age still leaves us friends and wine.”
— Thomas Moore

The shortening days of autumn are, indeed, upon us. I love the fall season. It is full and ripe. It is the culmination, harvesting and reaping of all that we have sewn this year.

And, so, it is time to celebrate. Fall harvest celebrations are happening in every corner of our continent. Images of grinning children, huge pumpkins and corn stocks come to mind. Here in the Okanagan Valley, we have just celebrated the Fall Wine Festival. So much bounty!! (So much wine, so little time….)

A time to give thanks. This season is the cornucopia of life. How can we not pause to take stock of all our blessings? We live in such a hurried environment these days, that sometimes we forget to stop and appreciate all that we have. We pass by those moments where we can bask in the warmth of accomplishment and fulfillment.

It’s a time to reflect on the past, and gaze into the future. Busy, chaotic Christmas/Holidays will be here before we know it! And, then the New Year is come and gone. Resolutions made in haste are soon forgotten.

I find this is the ideal time of year for crystal ball gazing. It’s more of a dreamy, soft sort of look ahead as opposed to the hard, by the numbers goals that I would set in January. The challenges and successes of this year are still a fresh taste in my mouth. I am savouring my victories, my accomplishments. I can still catch the bitterness of the disappointments. I have a generous sense of my potential.

So, I would invite you to sink into this season, and gather it around you like a warm blanket. See your glass full to the brim, and make a toast in celebration. Smell the aroma of all you have achieved this year. With each sip, say a word of thanks, appreciate the bounty you have created. And then, as you savour the lingering finish, dream into the future. Picture yourself in the rosy glow of next autumn. What will you be celebrating and giving thanks for then?

What a great weekend!

I love this time of year. We’re enjoying spectacular Indian Summer weather, the grapes are being harvested, crush is on full bore. There’s a great energy about this season. It feels positive and productive. It’s all about abundance and the successful culmination of effort expended. It leaves me feeling full and grateful.

And, expectant. We’re also taking the harvest and processing it into future enjoyment. So, in that way, the harvest is not an end, but a beginning.

This weekend we harvested, crushed and pressed our pinot gris and sauvignon grapes; and we bottled some of our 2007 reds. Everything is pure potential. Everything just another beginning.

Can you see me smiling?

When we choose not to focus on what’s missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that’s present…..we experience heaven on earth. Sarah Breathnach

This quote was on an email that I received recently, and I thought - “How true!”. And, I also thought about how this could apply to the “not enough” syndrome that most of us fall into at least occasionally.

It seems like there is this huge prevalence of scarcity thinking. “I don’t have enough of…”, or “I’ll do such & such as soon as….” or “when I get better at…” or “I can’t do (blank) because I don’t have….” or “I’m not good enough”.

We have a tendancy to put everything off “until”. We spend all our energy focusing on what it is we don’t have.

How would it be if we changed our thought patern just a tiny bit? What would change if I said “I can do xxx right now, and it will be even better when yyyy”. How would things be different if I really focused on what I already have, be grateful for it, and do what I can do today?

The Compass Coaching program is based on what they call “Abundance Intelligence” which has been adapted from Kim George’s book called “Coaching into Greatness“. I’ve been delving into their coaching program both as a client and now as a Certified Compass Coach for the last couple of months. And, I love it!

I find that feels really empowering. It gives me choice. It creates abundance. What is it I can do, right now? Today? It blows all of the obstacles out of the water!!

Every time I get stuck, I ask myself that question: “What can I do?”. And, it never fails to get me into action. It also makes me feel full, and blessed. I feel satisfied instead of wanting. I feel more peaceful, less anxious.

What would change for you if you chose to focus on what you do have? What you can do? Look at your strengths (and those of others) rather than weaknesses?

How would you feel?

PS. Another book that I have really enjoyed and found very enlightening on the topic of scarcity & abundance is “Trance of Scarcity” by Victoria Castle. Check it out!

The world seems to be filled with doom and gloom these days. Investments and house prices are falling. Jobs are being lost. Businesses are failing.

Are you worried? Are you getting sucked into the mire of negativity? Are you finding it harder and harder to see the light at the end of the tunnel?

How do you think this effects your life? How do you move forward towards your goals and dreams when from everywhere there seems to be screaming “STOP! You are under threat. Don’t move or you’ll get hurt”? What happens when you actually start believing those voices?

I’m not saying that all is well. I know it’s not. But where is the opportunity? The laws of physics tell us that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. So when everything is going down, something has to be going up, right?

Why can’t that be you?

Just think about it. When you buy into the hype and really believe that the world is going to hell in a handbasket – where are you headed? If you hold that belief, what chance to do you have of going anywhere else?

What if you CHOSE to believe in possibility? What could you accomplish if you looked for the opportunities?

In coaching, we are taught the concept of “Disturbance as an Ally”. To us, when there is upheaval, conflict, tension; change is trying to happen. If we embrace that disturbance and look for the opportunities, we are going to come out the other side way ahead of the game. It also points to the idea that there is never 100% truth in anything. Where is that 2% opportunity that is lying in this mess? What would be different if that is what you focused on?

Can’t find that needle of opportunity in the economic haystack? Where are you looking? Are you focusing on the hay or the needle?

So, how do you do that? Here are some suggestions! Try one or two, see what happens….

1. 1. Focus on the positive! Do the Oprah thing and have a gratitude journal. Spend some time every day counting your blessings.
   2. When you find yourself saying “I can’t”, ask yourself “how can I?”
   3. Practice active appreciation by making a point of noticing the wonderful things around you, the wonderful people around you. Tell them what you appreciate.
   4. Spend time visualizing your dreams and goals every day. Let your psyche be infused with the positive feelings of achievement.
   5. Surround yourself with positive people. Seek out those in your life that make you feel good. Ask yourself how you can make someone else feel good and do it!
   6. Be generous. Give what you can. Reap the satisfaction of making someone else life better.
   7. Finally, be good to yourself! Wrap yourself in a warm comforting blanket of self love. And, you’ll find you have an abundance to give.

Have you got another habit that you use to focus on the positive? Leave a comment here to share it with us!

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”

This is one of those “pass it on” chain emails that we get way too often. Except this one has a very powerful message that relates to my previous blog post.

The question is: What do we miss when we are in such a hurry to go (where?)?

have a read…..

This occurred Jan 12, 2007:

A man sat at a metro station in Washington, DC and started to play
the violin; it was a cold December morning. He played six Bach
pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush
hour, it was calculated that a thousand people went through the
station, most of them on their way to work.

Three minutes went by and a middle-aged man noticed there was a
musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds,
and then hurried up to meet his schedule.

A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a
woman threw the money in the till, and without stopping, continued to
walk.

A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to
him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again.
Clearly he was late for work.

The one who paid the most attention was a 3-year old boy. His
mother tagged him along, hurried, but the kid stopped to look at the
violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued
to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by
several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced
them to move on.

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and
stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money, but continued to walk
their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and
silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was
there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best
musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces
ever written, with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.

Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at
a theater in Boston, and the seats averaged $100.

This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro
station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social
experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The
outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate
hour — Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we
recognize the talent in an unexpected context?

One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be:

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best
musicians in the world, playing the best music ever written, how
many other things are we missing?

You pop the cork. Pour a stream of crimson fluid into your glass. Inhale deeply the aromas it offers up. Taste the richness and notice the complexity. Feel how it glides over your tongue towards your throat. Hold your glass to your ear. And, listen. Just listen.

This wine has a message for you.

I was contemplating wine the other day (ya think?). And, I was wondering what messages it might have to impart to us. What does the wine have to say to you and me?

I think it says: Stop. Pay attention. Savour the experience. Really tune into the moments in your life.

I think it says: Celebrate! Life is good. Enjoy what you have and rejoice in the small successes that are offered up every day.

I think the message is: Take care. Take care of yourself. Take care of the place you live. Be careful to nourish your body and soul. After all, what is wine without the soil, water and sun?

I think it says: revel in diversity. Enjoy the differences. Just as wines come in different colours and flavors, so do people. Appreciate the variety of the human race.

And, I hear something about changing, and growing. And, the process. Creating something beautiful.

I hear: Cheers! The importance of family and friends, being in good company. Choosing to be “cheer”ful and bring cheer to others.

Am I hearing things? Maybe I need another glass!