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Portage
January 2008 Newsletter In This Issue...
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| Welcome
Hey All I love January as that time of year when I hang close to home napping, writing, listening to the radio, reading, cooking, eating, walking the dogs, a little ice fishing and just generally being quiet.
Last Monday, when I had reached my emotional limit and the tears were flowing, I heard myself say "Uncle!" So I'm taking my own advice and giving myself some Wiggle Room by repeating an article I wrote in 2002. My words are more persuasive for me today than they were back then because my retirement is within reach! I've decided to transition this coming spring from a coach who goes on fishing adventures often to a fisherwoman who fishes a lot and coaches occasionally. Oh, I’ll still write this newsletter. And I've got a handful of clients I will not let go! But for the most part, I’ll be visiting with you and my clients from the wilds of the North Country via some kind of satellite service I have yet to discover. If anyone has suggestion or details about said satellite service, please call or email me. My intention, if anything, of this newsletter is just to present the musings of a wandering woman. Take what works for you. Discard what does not. I won't mind a bit. I was paddling a new river a couple of weekends ago and came up behind a beaver. He didn't know I was there. I spoke up, trying to give him fair warning, but by the time I saw him, I was on top of the poor fellow. We were both pretty surprised. As we went down river together at about the same speed, I could hear and feel, th-thump, th-thump, th-thump, on the bottom of my canoe as he tried to maneuver his way out of the dilemma of only 8 inches of water between the bottom of my canoe and the bottom of the river. After a long 45 seconds, we finally reached deeper water. My paddling partner said, “That poor guy just ain’t got no wiggle room.” But isn't that what happens to us when we play in the shallows, not daring to go deep? When a crisis happens, we don't have room to wiggle because we've limited ourselves. Getting “wiggle room” starts with creating space in our lives. Here are some of my favorite ways: 1. Let go. Avoid being overly
attached to goals. Move toward your goals but don't, in your effort to
accomplish the goal, miss a new emerging path.
2. Understand your fears. Know
what's real and what's imagined. You are not alone and you are not powerless.
Our egos serve no useful purpose except as a defense for what we fear.
Having understood our fears, we can now let go of ego.
3. Trust your intuition and
your dreams. Be open to possibility. Seek the unlikely. Think the unthinkable.
Imagine the improbable. Life's biggest opportunities are often hidden to
all but our intuition.
4. Give yourself permission.
There WILL be opportunities. And these opportunities may ask you to become
someone you are not right now. You'll want to be able to do that without
guilt.
I am a board member of a wonderful non-profit organization called A Hand Up Coaching. You can learn more about us at www.ahuc.org. A Hand Up Coaching coaches are helping women make a difference. And the women helped through A Hand Up Coaching consider the assistance they receive to be priceless. Please consider being a part of this gift. While our coaches and everyone else in the organization give their time freely, A Hand UP Coaching has operating expenses that must be met. It costs us $75 in operating expenses to work with a client for 90 days. Your tax-deductible investment is literally a lifeline for these women. We are not a government program. We operate efficiently and lean, ensuring that our donors receive the highest possible return on their investment. Your donation will help a woman move beyond her circumstances. You will help a woman become productive and strong for her family and community. You become a team member in her success. ALL of your money goes to the operation of the program, not salaries. A Hand Up Coaching has affiliate coaches in major cities across the country. From Kansas City to Sacramento, Dallas to Philadelphia, Los Angeles to Detroit, your contribution will very likely help a woman in your area. You can help today by mailing
your tax-deductible contribution to:
Pam will need your name and complete address so we can acknowledge your donation. She will send you a letter so that you may fully deduct your donation from your income taxes. Thank you Resources With A Bit Of A Rant A couple of weeks ago I was listening to the program This I Believe on National Public Radio. I heard the speaker say something to the effect that we must look at what we do if we want to know what we believe. I think she's close to getting it right. I say listen to what you say if you want to know what you believe. But, looking at what you do will give you a clear indication of what you know to be true. That the distinction between a belief and a knowing is the difference between just talking about and actually doing. Why do we shy away from saying “This I know?” Do we feel we are being rude or pushy in an arrogant way that will turn our listeners off? Are we afraid that if we firmly state what we know we are unable to change our mind? Perhaps we are too insecure and we are only willing to go as far as believing what we have been told. What we know is more simple than what we say we believe. Perhaps what we know is so simple that there are no words. Our body simply knows this or that to be true and takes action. My coaching and writing are filled to the brim with distinctions and musings like this. I love them. And I think distinctions are critical to understanding who we are and what we mean to say. Please don't be lazy in your communication. Find the right word. For those of you who love words
and creating distinctions, check out Visuwords™
Online Graphic Dictionary. Wow, what a resource!
Please check out my Market
America franchise web portal at www.marketamerica.com/debmartin/
Peace and much love
The Fine Print
You can subscribe to this newsletter by visiting the subscription box on my home page at www.portagecoach.com If you find value in Portage please pass it along and ask your friends to subscribe. Thank You. Help me stay with you. If you are enjoying Portage, please protect your subscription. If your email address is about to change, please remember to visit my home page and subscribe your new address. And if your email service automatically deletes large broadcasts like this one, let them know you want Portage from Deb Martin to come through. Portage is published 12 times a year and distributed monthly by e-mail. Comments, submissions and suggestions are welcome. Please forward any or all of this newsletter to those you know will appreciate it and encourage them to subscribe for themselves. Although this material is subject to copyright, you may reprint this publication, in whole or in part, in your company publication, in training, presentations, or wherever you feel it would be of benefit. This also holds true for members of the media. All I ask is that you include the following: Reprinted with permission from Deborah Martin of Portage at http://www.portagecoach.com The names of newsletter subscribers are not shared or sold. Copyright (c) 2008 by Deborah Martin. All rights reserved. |
This
year so far, the dogs have kept me hopping. You don't need details. But
after three visits from the vet to my home, one including surgery on my
kitchen counter, I think we're on the mend. Now I spend my free time washing
stains out of the carpeting. Ugh!