By Tracey Arial
This month, I will turn 51 years old. The milestone has made me reflective about what I’ve accomplished and what remains to be done. Despite a rather large melt-down in my industry, I’m in a buoyant mood about the future, thanks in part to some powerful coaching from Ryan Eliason.
During weekly group coaching sessions, Ryan asks powerful questions that have helped me move past overwhelm and towards renewal. My favourite quote of his is “renewal is not a circumstance, it’s a state of mind.” Thanks to his coaching, everytime I feel overwhelmed I go for a walk, have a healthy meal, take a nap or change what I’m doing, even if only for a little while. What a relief!
Every week, he encourages us to celebrate small and large milestones in our lives. Graduations, anniversaries, accomplishments, even cleaning your office; all of these landmarks should be posted or verbalized or discussed with love ones. The idea is that regular encouragement improves your energy and makes you more grateful. Thanks to his coaching, I’ve been paying attention to happy children, a good marriage, a beautiful home, good relationships with siblings and my dad, a close extended family, lots of good friends and business acquaintances, great bosses…the positive notes go on and on. He’s encouraged me to spend at least some time every day thanking God for an abundance of love in my life.
One of his exercises had me list all the successful mentors I have in my life. That exercise alone makes me so grateful for everyone who makes such a difference in so many spheres. If you’re reading this note, you’re very likely on my list of mentors. It’s extraordinary how many people do great things without being thanked or appreciated. Thank you.
He also encouraged me to define a vision that connects me to my biggest purpose. I decided I want to use communications and urban agriculture to build abundance so that people, politics and nature can strengthen one another. That focus links my work as part of a vibrant team creating an important urban agriculture cooperative in Verdun with writing that highlights amazing people and projects. Courses about growing things, community activism and good food preparation are now on the to-do list.
I’ve also dusted off that World War II book project that’s been off and on my plate since I finished a survey of Canadian Vietnam Veterans in 1996. It should be finished in time for Christmas so that I can plan a spring 2015 launch.
Ten years ago, if you had told me that I’d be starting my business with fresh eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it. Thanks to Ryan, that’s happening now.
Happily, Ryan is holding a free webinar series next week so that you can experience his coaching first hand and see some of his most successful case studies. He offers this kind of webinar only once every year, so I highly encourage you to see what he has to offer by clicking on the following link to register for his free webinar.