Courage in Action

I've been playing with the idea of "boldness" a
lot lately. I find it resonates with many of my readers.  Last month we
explored it during the Bolder Women series and I had women join the calls from
all over the world. Most of us long for bolder lives.

  To me, bold means more than getting past my fears. It's
seeing courage come to life in actions. To live boldly isn't something
that's invisible to those around us. Boldness makes an impact. Boldness has
power to create change.

So let's stop talking about self-improvement. Instead, let's talk about what we as women are up to in this world. What is the change you
want to create? What are you meant to be up to while you're on this planet?

Big questions, I know but I'm convinced they reflect the underlying
longing we each have for significance. Self-improvement is just a way to distract
ourselves because it feels like we're up to something. But we weren't
put here to just work on our selves. We, each one of us, has a purpose and a
responsibility and we were born with the tools we need to meet that
responsibility. I also believe we live our most joy-filled and full-filled
lives when we get up to being on purpose.

In my own quest I found as
answer. My purpose for being here is to help women like you make a difference in your
world. It's time for me to claim it and take bold action!

So you'll be reading a lot more about this subject on this
blog. And if you're a Christian woman of spirit, visit my new blog at aprillejanes.typepad/bolder_spirit as well. Some of the posts will look similar but I will be writing from a more spiritually-based value system.
 
You may also want to set aside the weekend of October 2-4, 2009.  I'm putting together a 3-day retreat for "Bolder Women on Purpose". Details to
come soon but space is going to be limited to ensure a rich experience for
everyone who attends. If you want to get your name on the list now, drop me an
email and I'll send you advance notice when registration opens.

 

Finding Your Why

Do you see visions? I’m not talking about out of body experiences here but rather – do you have an idea of what your Ideal Life would look like?

What part do you dreams and gifts play in your Vision? Do you know the difference you want to make in your world?

Visioning should be the foundation for everything else you do in your life. In my coaching practice I often come across people who scoff at the idea of a Vision Plan and throw up barriers and reasons why it won’t work for them. Those barriers and reasons most often come from a place of fear; Fear that their vision is too powerful; Fear that they will be required to move out of their comfort zone;  Fear that they might have to actually do something and that it might be too late.

What they find, once they complete the visioning process, is joy, motivation and a sense of being in the right place.

Wouldn’t you rather be pulled along by joy? In order to create that pull, you need connection to your core values & purpose.

Making up a vision can feel like a fairy tale – entertaining but not 'realistic' but any act of creation is simply making something up. And the greatest truth about our own lives is that we get to make them up.

Your vision is really more than pure invention. It's based on who you are, what you are passionate about & what you yearn to create in the world.  Whether you realize it or not, you're creating your tomorrow right now.  Why not do it on purpose and make it the one you want?

A warning here – A 'How' will kill a good 'What' every time. Don't worry about the details. Dare to Dream big. The how’s come much later in the process and they usually take care of themselves. 

 

Your Bucket List

I appreciated the movie "The Bucket List" for the simple idea of creating my own list. A few of the items on my own list are:

• Visit Costa Rica.
• Learn to cha-cha with flair.
• Spend a summer in Old Quebec City learning to speak French.

Creating goals that enrich your life provides purpose and meaning. Achieving them is another way to measure success.

Have you thought about your own Bucket List? Here's a link to an interesting article from the magazine "Stressfree Living". Enjoy!