I sat quietly on the porch and listened - a rustling in the garden, chirping across the way, wind ruffling the leaves of the trees. I sat quietly on the porch and felt - a cooling breeze, a connection to the squirrels silently busy gathering dinner, peace at being one with my surroundings. I sat quietly on the porch and thought what a wonderful space of joy and quiet. I
jumped up and ran - feeling the wind in my face, my muscles moving and my lungs filling with air. I stepped hard on the shovel and strained, turning the soil over. I sat down and focused on the work at hand, knowing that I had to get through the details to create a new beginning. I realized that I’m made up of different parts that create the whole, that what moves me to joy is part quiet time, part connection with others, part proving I’m up to the challenge.
What moves you to a place of contentment and fulfillment? In his book, "Working with Emotional Intelligence", Daniel Goleman notes that emotion and motivation share a common root, springing from the Latin verb motere, to move. What moves you ignites your passion and feeds your soul? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to live joyfully? Try out the five steps below and see what happens for your life.
1. Recognize what fuels your soul. Is it hugging your kids, a walk in the crisp morning air, solving a problem or closing a deal? To find the answer to this question ask yourself when you feel effortless, even if you’re working hard, and when you feel at peace. These are the spots of fulfillment where emotion and motivation meet.
2. Look for ways to get more of this good stuff. How might you open up to other relationships to create the same magic you feel in the really good ones? Where can you find more work that truly stimulates you? Where can you find more play that lights you up? What can you release to free additional time for pursuing your passions? (Hint: how much time do you spend worrying instead of being or doing?) What is the mood you want to live in and share with others? You get to choose how you show up each day.
3. Write down your vision - exactly how you want it to be. And, reinforce it. Start each day by reading your vision and stating your intention to have what you want. Speak it, believe it, do it. This includes accepting the less exciting parts of our lives and crafting ways to make them compelling and to feed your greater vision. For instance, it’s important to pick up the phone and make the calls to prospects and clients, it keeps your relationships strong and coincidentally the pipeline of referrals full, it’s worth it to work out because you love your body when you feel fit.
4. Live in the present. You know more than you realize and are capable of what you want in this life. Simply be in each moment allows you to expand and grow toward your fulfillment. And, yes, there is hard work involved with change. Embrace it for the new muscles you’ll exercise and know that even when you falter, you will get up again.
5. Revel in the joy of living a life that motivates you. Create a joy journal with daily entries about what brings you joy and your intentions for a motivated and positive life.
Grab your power and make your plans. You can create the life that motivates and moves you toward positive emotions and fulfillment!
Coach DQ, Dawn Quesnel, CPCC, PCC, received her coaches training from the Coaches Training Institute (CTI), and is accredited by the International Coach Federation (ICF)She is a member of the ICF and she continuously trains to develop her skills as a professional coach.
Before becoming a Professional Coach, Dawn was an Executive Recruiter at two of Boston's premier agencies. She eventually opened her own recruitment firm, Executive Staffing Consultants. Her vast experiences in recruitment led to the knowledge that most people need help clarifying their career and their personal goals. Thus the launching of her coaching practice, Career Life Balance.
Dawn's clients find within themselves the resources and the wherewithal to take their career, business, and personal lives to the next level. www.CareerLifeBalance.net
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