Dear Monday Morning Coach Readers --

You'll notice a whole new look to Monday Morning Coach this week. And I'm also excited to announce that I have updated my website, featuring not only the new look but new content as well. Please take a moment to visit www.dynamic-coaching.com, and let me know what you think!

Staying Grounded

During the week since my mother's passing I have felt myself swept up in a great wave of activity: organizing, coordinating, handling, responding to, and managing all that comes in the aftermath of someone's death. At times life has felt surreal. There are still many, many details to be handled: a will to be executed, a home to be cleaned, inventoried and sold, and many, many thank you notes to be written to the many, many people who have been so kind during the short duration of her hospitalization and passing.

But this morning, I made my best effort to get back to the morning routines that ground me (like writing these weekly messages). Yes, there is much to be done, so much that I simply can't do any of it without getting my daily dose of grounding. And I encourage you this week to either begin or strengthen your practice of those things that keep you centered and grounded so they're there for you when the crises of life come, as they surely do to all of us.

There are several rituals that I find comforting as I attempt to put myself back into the "normal" flow of life:

• Prayer or meditation. You do not have to be a religious person to pray or meditate. Yes, prayer connects us to a Higher Power, as they speak of in 12-step programs. But it doesn't require a church or any particular setting. Likewise, meditation doesn't depend on having a certain type of chair, music, mat, clothing, candle or any other accessory. What either requires is a spirit willing to yield control, to focus on a calming word or the breath, and to simply allow the silence, the quiet to permeate and surround you. It is at once the greatest comfort and the greatest challenge for us in our very ADHD driven culture. Just a few minutes acts as a great soothing "bridge over troubled water."


• Exercise. I simply cannot understand how anyone stays centered without some form of regular exercise. In certain cultures and spiritual traditions, walking a labyrinth is used as a very centering activity. But really, walking, running, aerobics, yoga, stretching, swimming, bicycling...virtually any type of physical activity has a very calming and grounding effect. Part of why I love my dogs so much is that they require, no pretty much demand, regular physical exercise and activity. Following activity, they come home and take a nap. There's a wisdom in that.


• Tea. There is a reason that tea-drinking has been given very special meaning in many cultures around the world. My British friend Linda is the one who taught me to make a "proper cup" of English tea. And during her tutoring she explained that the first thing a British person asks at any major or minor crisis in life is simply: "Cup o' tea?" I won't go further except to say there is a comfort in both the making and the drinking of tea. It is an activity that helps me stay centered.


• Journaling. During the days since my mother passed away, there have been many moments when a thought of her, some special thing she said or did pops into my head. Not only is it very calming to write those down as they occur, but it's reassuring that at some future time I'll be able to recall and review those memories. But don't wait until a loved one dies to start writing. Again, wise people down through time have used writing and journaling as a way to process things that "the world" simply might not have time for nor understand.

What grounds you? How do you keep focused when the world around you seems to be unraveling. As you read this week's message I invite you to focus on creating, restoring or strengthening your "grounding rituals." Author, speaker and businessman Harvey McKay writes, "The time to dig your well is before you need the water." If you'll strengthen your grounding rituals now, they'll be there to support you when the winds of change or crisis come blowing through your life.

Wishing you a grounded and joyful week,

Quote of the Week:

"I lived in solitude in the country and noticed how the monotony of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind""

~~Albert Einstein

GET CLIENTS NOW!™ AND KEEP THEM!! Are you self-employed or an independent professional in coaching, consulting, real estate, financial planning, sales, or another profession? Do you struggle to find clients for your services? Once you have them do you have a follow-up system in place to keep them and encourage them to send you referrals? If you could benefit from having a steady stream of clients to your business, then plan to join Betty Mahalik and Cathy Hazzlerigg in Las Vegas on Oct. 11 for a dynamic, hands-on marketing seminar called "Get Clients Now!™ And Keep Them!! For additional information or to register simply reply to this email with "register me" in the subject line and contact information in the body of the email. And in the next three months you could have all the clits you can handle!! You can also contact Betty at (702) 658-4425 for additional information. Go ahead and take the step that could transform your business results for 2007!

Imagine having 101 of the best and brightest coaches, experts and advisors available at your fingertips to give you strategies to improve every aspect of your life-from relationships to communication, from goal-setting to time management.

"Transforming Your Potential into Performance!"
Betty Mahalik, PCC Life & Business Coach, Trainer bettym@dynamic-coaching.com www.dynamic-coaching.com	Dynamic Solutions 5240 Mustang St. Las Vegas, NV 89130 tel: 702 658-4425 fax: 702 658-5802 mobile: 702 443-0175
Want a signature like this?

Click here to register for our FREE e-mail newsletter
The Monday Morning Coach