Guest Columnist: Joy Chudacoff
A few nights ago, we watched “Mr. Magorium’s Magical Emporium” with Dustin Hoffman and Natalie Portman. It’s a fun and light family movie with a wonderful message. I won’t give away the plot or ending, however at one point in the movie, Dustin Hoffman (Mr. Magorium) smiled and said to Natalie (who at the time was going through a big life transition) “Your life is an occasion; rise to it.” This got me thinking about how Smart Women know this well.
If you think about the word “occasion”, what comes up for you? For me, an “occasion” means a special or important time, a celebration or ceremony. When I wake up on the day of an important occasion, I feel a quiet excitement inside—anticipation about how this special time in my life will unfold. Don’t get me wrong. If I’m in charge of the occasion like planning a family member’s birthday party or some other big event, there’s some anxiety that goes along with the “occasion.”
Do you ever wake up in the morning thinking of your life as a celebration or a day that’s special? I typically need a strong cup of black coffee before I can think about anything in the morning and with a busy family in tow and a vision for my business that seems to never stop, some days can be more of a challenge than a celebration! However, I’m working on adjusting my attitude to reflect more of a celebration in my life and making each day feel special.
How am I going to do that? I’ve been spending some quiet peaceful time over the last few days asking myself a few questions on how I can make my life more of an "occasion" each day. I want to live my life fully and with no regrets. I want to (hopefully!) teach my children and the people around me to do the same. Here are a few questions I’ve been asking myself lately:
1. What do I want? That’s a big question isn’t it? So simple and yet so enormous. It’s a great question to ask yourself if you’re curious about your life, your future and your legacy. Your life is defined by the choices you make along the way. I invite you to get some paper, a favorite pen and the beverage of your choice and sit in a spot that’s peaceful and quiet where you can really get in touch with your internal voice—your soul. Take a deep breath, ask the question and then write whatever pops into your mind. A word of caution; don’t censor your answers. Try and avoid judgments.
After you finish this, you can go on with the next question which is:
2. Is what I’m currently doing in alignment with what I want in my life? We can say we want something but if we don’t actually take the right action steps to make it happen, it will most likely never materialize or come to fruition. If I want to get in better physical shape or take my business to the next level, I have to ask myself if the current daily, weekly and monthly action steps will eventually get me to the place I want to be.
Take a look at your current life. Does it match up to what you want? If so, bravo! You are on your way. If not, then you need to ask yourself the next question:
3. What are the changes I need to make to get what I want? This can sometimes be the most challenging part of the process. Why? If you’re willing to acknowledge that change needs to take place in order for you to have more of what you want in your life, then you must contemplate taking the next step which is actually making the desired changes to get you on course and moving in the right direction. A wise mentor once shared with me that “change does not always mean success, but success always means change.”
In the movie, Natalie Portman struggled a bit with this process but in the end, it was accessing her own internal voice and her belief that helped her to begin a new life journey toward achieving what she wanted in her life. I invite you to get in touch with your internal voice. Allow her to come out and into your life. It will surely be a special “occasion.”
Anything is possible. Everything is waiting for you.
Joy Chudacoff, ICF, PCC, is the founder of Smart Women Smart Solutions(tm), a Professional Certified Coach to 1000’s of women, Motivational Speaker, and Entrepreneur. She publishes a weekly buzz generating ezine, Reflections On Life and Business for Women Entrepreneurs. If you’re ready take your coaching business to the next level, get your FREE Tips, FREE Report, FREE MP3 and be the first to hear about my exciting new program for coaches and consultants at www.SmartWomenSmartSolutionsCoaching.com
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