Life…and other important stuff.

I’m not quite sure what I ever did before having a million apps to guide me, a laptop to work on homework and projects, and a 24/7 way to contact far away friends and family. Living in Alaska, having a cell phone is a safety net, as well as a way to check my social network sites and respond to emails on the go. All of this is incredible, and, if gone unchecked – incredibly exhausting.

It is so easy to slip into “always on” mode, and quite frankly – we’re not made for that. We emotionally shrivel up and begin to resent our loved ones, friends and co-workers when we force ourselves to believe we have to check our techno gadgets every 3.5 minutes as though something, somewhere may have burst into flames and we are the only source of water in the world.

There’s this nifty little switch on my iPhone that puts the noisy ringer on silent. Just a switch. One side is guaranteed connection, the next is connection made on my time, when I am able to fully engage with the person texting or calling me. Let’s be honest, with how busy we all are, there are times we wish we had a silent switch for the rest of the world – or just the rest of our day.

Sometimes, it’s a boundary setting practice and other times, it’s a matter of un-training our ingrained habits. Reality check - your workplace does not own your every waking moment, and neither do your friends or the photo tags of you on F@cebook.

Most of my posts call for some sort of engagement in your life, with people and opportunities. Today, I’m giving you direct and loving permission to flip that switch. If this gives you minor feelings of panic, try it for just 15 or 30 minutes. No text, no status updates and no email. Let’s say you work a job in which you truly cannot turn off your phone. Try contacting the people who could call you in a crisis situation, and ask them to dial your house phone instead of your cell phone for the next hour – that way, you know if the house phone rings you really must answer.

You’ll be amazed at how relaxed you feel and I’m willing to bet you will return to the electronic world (and the physical one) revived and ready to be fully present and interactive. Isn’t that how you would prefer to be all the time?

There’s no better time than now to take care of yourself in order to do and be the amazing person that you are. When your cup is empty, so to is the way you feel about your life.

Blessings and quiet time to you,

~Brittany

Flow…that is my motto this year.

I’m tempted, all too often, to go against the grain in life. This happens especially when I feel like circumstances are out of my control. Of course, not knowing what’s around the corner, or how a certain situation might play out is uncomfortable. It’s possible that it is even more uncomfortable than simply assuming the Universe has got your back.

Today – take a moment to think about where you are trying to control something that you are simply not responsible for, and release it. Take a deep breath, remind yourself that you are always cared for and supported in life, and give thanks for the opportunities and adventures that lie ahead.

The sooner you let the powers that be do their job, the more readily your opportunities and adventures will arrive.

With Love,

~Brittany

Sometimes, it’s just not about you.

Sometimes, you just have to hand it back – emotionally.

Sometimes, you don’t have to carry that baggage.

It’s true. We’re so good at assuming someone else’s stuff. They’re having a bad day – it must have been something I’ve said! They’re not talking to me any more – I must have made them mad? He looked at me differently tonight – I wonder if he’s up to something?

Think about the last time you took the behavior or words of someone else and assumed you had done something to cause it. That’s a lot to take responsibility for, when you probably have 0% to do with it and even less power to change it.

Today, check in with yourself on who’s baggage you’re actually carrying. In an airport – taking off with someone else’s luggage, or leaving yours behind for someone else to pick up could get you in a lot of trouble. Think of it the same way when it comes to your life and exactly how much emotional weight you are responsible for in this world. (Heres a hint: only your own, and you decide how heavy it is!)

Travel lightly.

With love,

Brittany

I spent my 28th birthday in a rural Alaska village. An incredible sunrise greeted me over a frozen winding river that sustains the people I spent my day with. It was -38 below and we talked about very tough topics. Suicide, domestic violence, sexual assault and child sexual abuse. Through all of this, there was hurting and healing and I was there to witness it all.

Meanwhile, my cell phone sat on the window sill, every once in a while, collecting voice mails, text messages and FB comments wishing me a happy birthday. I couldn’t respond to any of them – I didn’t have enough reception to do so. This drove me absolutely insane. How could they be giving me these wonderful gifts of love and words and I can’t say thank you?! I also had two cakes made for me by the wonderful team I was traveling and presenting with.

At one point, I thought, this is too much – nobody needs two cakes on their birthday?! Inside, I was beaming. I really felt very special, and loved and felt the need to return it somehow. When I mentioned this, someone said, “Why? It’s YOUR birthday!” as if I was silly for being so concerned about all of this.

And I was. Full of gratitude, and being silly.

This was a major lesson for me to learn. Sometimes, It’s okay to just accept gifts knowing that they were given to you in a one-directional way. Think about the last time you accepted a compliment and immediately turned it down, played it off, or responded with a compliment. How about during the holidays when a friend gives you a gift, and you did not purchase one for them – do you run out and buy something to make it even?

Next time someone is giving you a gift, open your heart up and give them the gift of your honest and soul-deep gratitude back. Afterall, you are worth every gift that comes your way, and you have the ability to gift when every you wish!

Life is for enjoying, sometimes this comes from simply sitting back and absorbing the love.

I have been incredibly ill for the past week. This morning, I’m having my first cup of coffee in 4 days. I’m thrilled out of my mind about this.

After a week of not wanting anything, not being able to do anything but sleep, being in immense pain and feeling overall uncomfortable in my skin – I missed all of the little things. And today, I’m realizing how important they really are.

The smell and feel of clean bed sheets, having the energy to get up and down the stairs to do laundry, connecting to the laughter of a friend (not simply hearing it…feeling it), tasting food, being able to take a full breath of air, going to work and interacting with like-minded people. All of these things are the little things we take for granted when we don’t stop to acknowledge how special they really are.

My bout with the flu is nothing in the grand scheme of things. I have a dear friend who is battling cancer. I can guarantee you that she is missing a much bigger list of the small things. For her, there are much bigger things. I think about her every single day, and pray for the return of her health and that she has access to the little things in her own way right now.

We have incredible amounts of small things to be thankful for. The fact that we have access to information at the click of a button is pretty fascinating. Someone created lights to manage us all while we drive about in our cars. How many television or radio channels do you have access to? And, well – I’m very thankful for access to a hot shower every day. And it’s not just technology – right now my cat is fervently hunting something she just knocked under the bookcase in my office, and it’s a joy to watch.

With all of these incredible things at our fingertips, comes the responsibility to enjoy them and be be grateful for them. Thankfully, our species is able to appreciate these things long before we have a reason to not have access to them. Make that decision today. Enjoy and love all of the little things, because ultimately there are much bigger things that are inevitable in our lives. Take the time today to mentally note your “thankful for” list.

I promise you, it will become habit, and your list will grow the more you pay attention to it.

Well Wishes,

Brittany

Quantity or Quality?

Lots of stuff or good stuff?

The first month of 2011 has proven to be a challenge to my own understanding of what life is really about, and it all revolves around how many things I’ve got on my schedule.

Do you ever have a day where you’ve got so many things on your ‘to-do’ list done, and you felt like you wasted your whole day? That’s exactly what I’m talking about. Life is busy. And the common response to that is, “it’s just the way things are now.” I respectfully disagree. I think we choose how our life is, every single minute of every single day. Therefore – it’s not just the way life is, it’s the way we’ve chosen to create it.

Now, think about a day where you woke up at your own pace, made a coffee and peered at the sunrise while you had a conscious internal conversation as to what you wish to do with your time. You may have accomplished absolutely nothing, but…it…felt…amazing. And you felt like it was the best day you’ve had in a long time.

You chose quality over quantity.

And the sad thing is – we raise our children up into this culture. Kids carry planners around now to keep all of their appointments, practices, rehearsals, shift hours, etc. in check. And parents are so busy hustling their children back and forth, they look at them one day and wonder how they grew so fast. It’s easy to miss your child’s life when you book them every second of the day out of your own unconscious behavioral patterns.

Quantity or quality?

One practice that I’ve found helpful is to not commit to anything on the weekends unless I absolutely have to. And then, when I do agree to something – I ask myself, “is this quantity or quality?” Helps me shift things into perspective with ease.

Be intentional with your time, your energy and your surroundings. With so many things out of our control in this world, this is the one thing you truly have a say in. Make your life a quality one.

With love,

~Brittany

P.S. If you’ve got a couple of minutes (like..17) where you can watch/listen to this, I promise you it will help you shift your perspective on time, attitude and joy.

http://www.ted.com/talks/neil_pasricha_the_3_a_s_of_awesome.html

“We are not makers of history. We are made by history.”

- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

It would be unspeakable for me to not give pause to this incredible man’s impression on our world. And to think, each and every one of us has the ability to create good, just as he did, in our own unique way.

Of all the profound words this man ever said, these stand out the most today because ultimately, we’re at an interesting point in our own history. We are at a point in which war is all around us, both across seas and in front of our grocery stores. By turning on any television channel, one would think we speak a universal language of violence and disdain for anything different than ourselves, as opposed to love and respect for our fellow human being.

MLK took the history he was handed, and worked it like clay, until it eventually became this beautiful masterpiece long after his precious life was taken from him. He was able to do this because of how intimately he knew himself, what he stood for, and how far he was willing to go to see his vision through. This is, without a doubt, the only way to have a positive influence on history.

So many people are walking around day to day letting things define them that have nothing to do with the core of their being. It’s ironic because if you didn’t come into this world with it, and you’re not taking it with you when you leave, why would you let it guide your thoughts, actions and beliefs?

My challenge to each of us is to make today a day of reflection on how we are made by history. How do we interact, and where do we focus our efforts? If the neutral and the peacemakers are the majority, why do the minority prevail in our headlines? Why do we live as though we are not interdependent on each other?

I am thankful today. I am full of gratitude for what this man did, and the many others who have dedicated their life to seeing peace reign. We cannot afford to simply elect a holiday to celebrate what someone did for our culture, we must celebrate everyday as though it were a day of greatness and civility. Maybe then our actions, expectations of each other and our news headlines would shift.

If MLK were with us today, my guess is he would ask us all why we were all taking today off when we have so much more work to do.

In solidarity,

~Brittany

A simple question changed my world last night.

While coaching a group for a local non-profit, a participant raised her hand and asked me – “You really like what you do, don’t you?”

My answer, without thinking twice – “I love what I do.” (yep, all drawn out and exuberant like the italic indicates.)

I knew this to be true. I knew this to be correct at the core of my soul.

I love what I do.

Do you?

What that looks like for me, is I am excited to get up and go to “work” every day. (I use quotation marks because it’s the common term for a job – not because it feels like work.) There is a part of me, something deep inside of me that feels like I want to burst with joy (*literally, silver glitter everywhere) when I am in my element. My words are authentic and freely flowing. The vibe in the room is magical and vibrant.

And – I get to do this every single day.

If you don’t love what you do, it’s time to re-evaluate how you spend your days. How many years do you intend to live a life lacking in excitement, passion and “work” that distinctly represents who you are as a person? You cannot afford to miss out on this. It is quite simply your job here on earth to discover who you are and what brings you joy.

With Love,

~Brittany

2011.

Can you believe it? Just this past week I’ve realized that people are not kidding when they say the further you get in life, the faster time flies. I’ve spent some time reflecting on a theme for the upcoming year. Here is my intention and hopefully some or all of it resonates with you.

Balance.

One word; Simply put. Powerful, and luckily for those who had a little too much champagne last night, totally do-able any day of the week.

Even the numbers call for this intention. 2-0-1-1. Two one’s – both strong, consistent, stable and…balanced nicely.

Well then… the writing is on the wall, my friend. It’s almost as if this was meant to be the year of Balance.

My wish for you this coming year:

May you have many moments of lively and engaged life work (parenting, mentoring, partnering, jobs, etc.) and equal parts of silent reflection on why you put effort toward that work.

A balance between consuming all the good in the world you are inherently entitled to, and being mindful of the resources that you have *excess of. (*Karmic bonus if you find creative ways to share your excess in the coming year!)

That you will find new ways to write the story of who you are at the core, and find contentment in the things that simply make you who you are.

May you find courage to gather those who are key contributors to your wellness and keep them near, and release people who do not fulfill your soul in a loving and kind way.

Lastly, I wish that this year we all find ways to stay ahead of the curve. That we experience riding the wave of life, rather than drowning in the ocean of time. May you be present in every moment of this year, so that when it comes time to put on a 2012 hat, and confetti is in the air – you know exactly where time flew – and you were actually there for it all.

Living with intention requires a steady effort. Balance is the way of taking care of yourself in the process.

A very happy New Year to all of you. From the bottom of my heart, I appreciate your support and have thoroughly enjoyed working with you.

Now, 2011 awaits you.

~Brittany

Learning lessons come in many forms and usually when we’re least interested in learning anything.

Picture yourself in the middle seat on an airplane. The person to your right is obviously battling a cold of some sort, and coughs every 4.5 seconds…in your direction. The two people behind you are striking a business deal as loudly as humanly possible for the entire 3 hour flight. Someone forgot to take their Beano, and all you want to do is sleep, but you are wired for sound. Your system is soaking up every vibration like  a sponge.

Most people shut down in these instances. iPod on, book 2 inches from the nose, don’t-even-look-my-way scowl, fake snoring – the whole bit.

I chose to sit in the uncomfortable. I wasn’t thrilled to be in the midst of all of this, but I was open to the lesson.

In this 3 hours I learned the following:

- I can choose to be calm in any situation.

- I have the ability to refuse to freak out about the holidays being 10 days away. It will all work itself out, and it will be perfect.

- I would like to be more conscious of what I eat, and how I expel energy.

- I have a goal of traveling first class, and would one day like to gift first class upgrades to my loved ones. (They tease you so, sitting in that row 6.)

- I have really taken my mother’s lesson to heart, “you can do absolutely anything you put your mind to”, and am learning to make that my Coaching model.

- The uncomfortable life moments are still moments that I am alive. For that, I am blessed.

Next time you are stuck behind a slow driver, in line at the bank, or in any spot that makes you feel subtly enraged – ask yourself, what is my lesson here? Believe it or not, it’s in the quieted moments in the middle of the chaos, that you are most present with yourself and receptive to the lessons between the lines.

With hope for your ‘middle’ experiences,

~Brittany