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Living the Creative Life: Issue 90
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Sharon Good
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Dec 22, 2006 16:52 PST
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"Living the Creative Life" is published every 6 to 8 weeks. You are
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http://www.goodlifecoaching.com/CreativeLife90.html
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LIVING THE CREATIVE LIFE
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For Creative People
and Those Who Want To
Live Their Lives Creatively
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December 2006 ~ ~ ~ Issue 90
In this issue ~~
* Opening Notes
* Feature Article: ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE
* Action Challenge
* Wise Words
* Bookshelf
* Upcoming Classes with Sharon
- In NYC: Coaching Classes at NYU
- In NYC: What to Do When You Don't Know What to Do
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OPENING NOTES
Happy New Year, everyone!
Another year has run its course, and a new one awaits us. I love to use
this time of year to remember and give thanks for all my joys and
successes of the past year and to look to the new year for a fresh start
-- to create a new vision, to explore, What's the next level for me in
my life, my work, my growth?
The past year has been a tough one for many people – either for yourself
or for people you care about. Let's let the past go and look to the
future with hope and optimism.
May the new year bring you greater joy, success, abundance and happiness
than you can now imagine!
Creatively yours,
Sharon
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ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE
As the year comes toward its end, it feels natural to take stock – to
look at what we've accomplished, what we didn't accomplish, what we're
satisfied and disappointed with. Most of us have a lot to be grateful
for, and yet, our view often goes to what we didn't get and what's
missing in our lives.
We live in the midst of abundance. Few of us ever go hungry or find
ourselves without a roof over our heads. We live in relative safety.
We're wealthier than most people in the world, yet we often don't take
joy in what we have. Rather than appreciating our abundance, we live
from a place of scarcity.
There's a quotation that resides on my refrigerator:
"Sometimes
I go about pitying myself
And all the while
I am being carried on great winds
Across the sky"
~ Chippewa Indian
In this past year, I've seen TV programs where orphans in Africa or
refugees from Katrina received gifts of small, basic necessities and
felt great joy and gratitude for them. When I see that and read my
quote, I think, How dare I feel sorry for myself because I didn't get a
plasma TV this year! How dare I not be grateful for the safe,
comfortable home I have! For the delicious, healthy food I eat every
day! For the caring people I have in my life! For the opportunities to
do work I love!
The media bombards us with constant images of the rich and famous. So
many people aspire to be as young and thin as Brittany Spears, or as
wealthy and successful as Oprah or Donald Trump. When they don't reach
those standards, they feel they've failed.
At the same time, we have the tragic images of the horrors in Iraq,
Darfur, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and so many other places
where people are fearing for life and limb on a daily basis. When we see
those painful images, we can use them as a reminder to be grateful for
all we have, instead of dwelling on what we don't.
Then, take it a step further. Make a contribution or volunteer time with
an organization that helps people less fortunate than you. There are
many to choose from. Here are some:
* Women for Women ~ www.womenforwomen.org
* Feed the Children ~ www.feedthechildren.org
* Oxfam International ~ www.oxfam.org/en/
* American Red Cross ~ www.redcross.org
* The UN Refugee Agency ~ www.UNHCR.org
It's time for an attitude shift. We need to let go of our self-pity and
our unreasonable standards and acknowledge how fortunate we really are.
Take time every day to appreciate the many riches you have, and find
opportunities to help those less fortunate than yourself.
It's a choice. You can focus on your blessings, or you can focus on your
scarcity. And where you focus will determine the quality of your life.
As the French novelist Colette said: "What a wonderful life I've had! I
only wish I'd realized it sooner."
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ACTION CHALLENGE
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Where in your life have you been experiencing scarcity? Is it in money?
Time? Opportunities? What do you have in that area that you can be
grateful for? For the next 7 days, begin and end the day by giving
thanks for that. Then, create a vision, with joy, of the new things
you'd like to bring into your life.
WISE WORDS
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"Appreciation is the highest form of prayer, for it acknowledges the
presence of good wherever you shine the light of your thankful thoughts."
~ Alan Cohen
"For me, giving thanks is a sign of appreciation and gratitude that also
brings about a deep sense of peace."
~ Wally Amos
"Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates
a vision for tomorrow."
~ Melody Beattie
"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into
enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order,
confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a
home, a stranger into a friend."
~ Melody Beattie
BOOKSHELF
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"Gratitude: A Way of Life" . . . Louise L. Hay
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=1561703095/sharongoodlifeco
"Gratitude: Affirming the Good Things in Life" . . . Melody Beattie
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=1567313671/sharongoodlifeco
"Attitudes of Gratitude: How to Give and Receive Joy Every Day of Your
Life" . . . M. J. Ryan
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=1573245119/sharongoodlifeco
"Words of Gratitude for Mind, Body, and Soul" . . . Robert A. Emmons,
Joanna Hill
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=1890151556/sharongoodlifeco
"Life Lessons: Gratitude" . . . Lenore Skomal and the LifeLesson Foundation
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=1933662034/sharongoodlifeco
"Count Your Blessings: The Healing Power of Gratitude and Love" . . .
John Demartini
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=1401910742/sharongoodlifeco
"Gratitude Works: Open Your Heart to Love" . . . Katherine Scherer,
Eileen Bodoh
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0974855006/sharongoodlifeco
"Simple Abundance Journal of Gratitude" . . . Sarah Ban Breathnach
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=044652106X/sharongoodlifeco
"Inspirations: A Gratitude Journal"
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=1582096902/sharongoodlifeco
"Left To Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust" . . .
Immaculee Ilibagiza
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=1401908969/sharongoodlifeco
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UPCOMING CLASSES WITH SHARON
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FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ALL CLASSES, please visit
www.goodlifecoaching.com/Classes.html.
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FOR THOSE IN NEW YORK CITY . . .
COACHING CLASSES AT NEW YORK UNIVERSITY
Sharon will be teaching 2 classes:
* Creative Marketing Tools for Coaches:
Spring 2007 semester: 6 Mondays, February 5 to March 19, 6 – 8 pm
* Career Coaching:
Spring 2007 semester: 2 Saturdays, March 31 and April 14, 9 am – 5 pm
For information and registration links, go to
www.goodlifecoaching.com/Classes.html.
~ ~ ~
WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO
So many people are dissatisfied with their jobs or careers. They'd love
to get out but they don't know where to go or how to get there. Learn
how to uncover new career possibilities and take the first steps in
finding a career that will make you happy.
Investment: $30
Location: 92nd Street Y / Makor - Steinhardt Center, 35 West 67th
Street, NYC
Date and time: Monday, April 23, 7 - 9 PM
To register or get further information, please contact the 92nd Street Y
at 212-415-5500. Register online at www.92y.org (course # T-MM5LP42-01).
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Sharon Good is a Life/Career/Creativity Coach, Workshop Leader and
Author. Her books include "Managing With A Heart: 222 Ways To Make Your
Employees Feel Appreciated," "The Tortoise Workbook: Strategies for
Getting Ahead at Your Own Pace," and "Self-Publishing Basics."
Sharon is available for one-on-one coaching for:
* whole life balance using the Whole Life model
* successful career and life transitions with the Life Purpose Process©
* support in achieving your goals and dreams
* guidance in writing or publishing your book
* developing your creativity
* enhancing and integrating spirituality in your daily life
For a **FREE INTRODUCTORY COACHING SESSION**, contact Sharon at
212-564-2073 or sha-@goodlifecoaching.com.
For further information, see her website at http://www.goodlifecoaching.com.
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Sharon Good / Good Life Coaching Inc.
Life, Career and Creativity Coach
Certified Life Purpose Process© Consultant
"Being a Tortoise in a World of Hares"
400 West 43rd Street
New York, NY 10036
sha-@goodlifecoaching.com
www.goodlifecoaching.com
www.beingatortoise.com
"Making your dreams a reality through partnership"
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(c) 2006 Sharon Good. All rights in all media reserved.
For reprint rights, contact sha-@goodlifecoaching.com.
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