On this morning’s walk, my husband and I were talking about the day ahead.  He made a comment about staying positive about life and that he wants to recognize that for which he’s grateful. It’s a perfect way to begin the day; getting exercise, spending quality time with one another, and setting our intention for the day.

The truth is, it would be very easy to miss the opportunity to count our blessings, and in the process skip our chance to choose joy over worry. Our days tend to blend in, one to the other, as we pass through our habitual motions.  We practice our habits, the good ones and the bad ones, as a matter of course throughout each day without really considering them.

Sometimes, we are jarred awake by something extreme – a friend passes away, or someone gets sick – and that’s when we remember to count our blessings.  It’s our nature to take things for granted until we’re reminded not to.

Today, I’m feeling light and joyful – abundantly grateful for the life I’ve created.  And not because I’ve suffered an extreme, but because it is my new choice, each and every day.

My cup runneth over…

Coach Charrise

Imagine a world where everyone does what they said they would do. Really? Is this possible? It may not seem feasible and yet, isn’t that what leaders do? Fearless leaders teach, mentor, and coach people to achieve impossibilities.

You can begin by answering these questions:

• What would your life/work be like if you could always depend upon others to honor their agreements with you?
• In what ways are you asking people to honor their agreements?
• In what ways are you honoring yours?
• Do you often have expectations of others, without getting their agreement that they will do what you expect?

There is a way to create more powerful agreements everywhere in your life. It begins with a true desire to hold people accountable to their word. Too often, people make commitments that they have no business making. Or worse, they make commitments without any intention of fulfilling them. We perpetuate this cycle by accepting this condition as status quo, rather than challenging it as unacceptable. It’s everywhere, so it’s easier to ignore.

As a leader, I invite you to think about the power of YOUR word, and to look for ways to show people how powerful their word is, or can be.

If your direct reports could really get this at the gut level, and could see how much better things work when communication is tighter and more reality/truth based, I’m betting you’d find more joy and ease in your world.

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned over the past few years is that living with purpose means serving others. My friend Steve Hardison lives by the mantra “Wake Up and Serve,” and I’ve adopted it as well. It occurs to me that sometimes we can forget the importance of serving ourselves in the midst of serving others.

There is a difference between martyrdom and serving, and the distinction has to do with getting clear on the purpose of doing something at all. How much of what we do is done to please other people? Are we addicted to the validation that comes from doing great things for people? Or, are our actions aligned with a clear desire to simply serve for the sake of serving? Therein lies the difference.

And what about us? If we are to be productively serving others, we must first serve ourselves. We must take good care of our physical health, our mental health, our emotional health, and our spiritual health. What good are we to others if we don’t arrive into service fully expressed and whole?

Coach Charrise