Yesterday I interviewed a podcast guest and after we were done recording I asked for her thoughts about how it went. One of her comments was “you are very good at this-asking questions and keeping the conversation flowing.” I thanked her and then said something I don’t believe I have said much: “I am pretty good at that.” It wasn’t cocky or bragging and it felt good to say it. I realized I have come a long way in my confidence journey. It wasn’t that long ago that I would not have said anything like that out loud. As I have continued growing and acknowledging my gifts I still would feel “funny” about saying these things to myself or to others. But yesterday I said it as a fact because it’s a) true and b) I am much more confident. It feels really good to recognize my self-worth! This is one reason why I started this coaching journey-I want all women to be able to share their gifts and acknowledge that yes-you have talents and worth and you should be able to unapologetically say it out loud. What’s your talent or gift? How do you share it? When others compliment you, how does it make you feel? Please share in the comments.

As I was waking up this morning I started thinking about what I had going on today. I will be interviewing a podcast guest about emotional triggers and how to heal them. That led me to think about my own experiences with triggers and how the holidays tend to be full of them. This led me to think about how we can prepare ourselves for the holidays (or any time really) when we know we have a high probability of being triggered by someone or something. What popped into my head at that point was a podcast and talk that I did this summer about how we minimize ourselves without realizing it. I talked about my experience as a nurse and how I was using the word "just" in a way that minimized me and my value in the world. What if we started out this holiday season by focusing on our worth first? Build up that confidence in yourself by knowing you are not "just" anything-you are a beautiful person inside and out. You have worth and value and no one can take that away from you. Maybe it can start by eliminating the use of one little word. Here is a link to that episode to get you started: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2402555/episodes/17438990

This week I had a situation that caused me to appreciate time with my parents. As my parents are aging, I have been helping them more with things like driving them to appointments etc. I tend to grumble inwardly about this, especially when it interferes with my schedule. It's usually inconvenient for me too because my parents live over an hour away from me so a simple appointment is a half-day event. This week I needed to drive my parents to an appointment and ended up missing a weekly business call. I was disappointed but a very wise person asked me to think about where I was being called to be. So I thought about it later and realized that I had spent extra time with my parents I wouldn't have had otherwise. They wanted to eat, so we stopped at KFC and during the meal my Dad talked about a funny story from his childhood that I hadn't heard before. It was also nice to have him enjoying the car ride and getting a little nap in on the way home. I know the days ahead with my parents are numbered and I try to be grateful for any time I get. Sometimes I just need a little reminder. I realized that missing that call wasn't a big deal but spending time with my parents was. That's where I needed to be that day.

I was working on my social media today and a post came across that I need to share with you. It said this: Growth doesn't always roar. Sometimes it whispers through boundaries held, old habits broken, and moments where you finally choose yourself. This is just another way of saying that taking those seemingly small steps will reap big rewards. Does this resonate with you?

Hello all! I wanted to share something with you all. Anyone who knows me knows that I have a dog named Jake. Jake is a black lab and he is a very good boy. My plan for him was to train him as a therapy dog and it was very clear from the start that this was a good path for him. Long story short, we did get his Canine Good Citizen certification but due to covid, we could not find a therapy dog class. He started participating in our local library reading dogs program and we visited an assisted living place for a year or so. Neither of those places required therapy dog certification so we were fine. It became very clear to me that Jake loves "working" with kids, he knows when they are nervous and he sits quietly until they come to him. This led me to decide we need to go into the schools to reach more kids and they do require a therapy dog certification. Today he passed his therapy dog certification!! Woo Hoo!!! Here's where the mindset change comes in. I knew ahead of time what the test would entail and it was nothing different than he has done before. But I was still nervous about it, it's a test after all. I had a couple of waking-up-at-3-am-nights thinking about it I will admit. I decided this morning that I was letting my mind take over and I needed to change. I couldn't go into the test being worried. So I thought over the facts, the things I know for sure: Jake is an easy-going dog who doesn't have an aggressive bone in his body He loves everyone, period. Jake has been through training and passed with flying colors. Jake wants to do the 'right' thing because he knows he will get treats for it. I took these facts and the energy associated with them and let go of the "testing" energy. I didn't need a test to tell me that my dog is a good boy and he can help other people. He already does that in spades. It made a huge difference in how I moved ahead and worked through the testing process. I remembered the confidence I have in my dog and how we work as a team. He looks to me for direction and assurance and if needed, protection. I confidently give him that any other day; I just needed to remember to do it today.