As I marvel at the beauty and particularity of my favourite poppy, I am reminded just how important it is for us to learn how to flourish. The California poppies have just begun showing their beautiful, bright orange faces on the rocky hillsides of Victoria. I still remember my first trip to Vancouver Island, long before I knew I would live here one day. I was admiring the Golden Poppies [...]
Notice the small things that bring you joy! When we feel joy, we feel most alive! When you notice the small things that bring you joy and consciously create and receive moments of joy in your daily life, your experience of life will change for the better. Jacqueline Kelm, fellow-author and coach, has developed an easy 3-step process to achieve just that. In her book, The Joy of Appreciative Living, [...]
When travelling to or living in other countries we can’t help but become aware your own assumptions. I went to Paris as a nanny in my early twenties. Leaving my hometown in Germany behind on the train to Paris, I felt excited. I was eager to immerse myself in a different culture and learn to speak French. I was looking forward to eating croissants, listening to accordion music in [...]
Are Your Electronic Devices Serving You? Recently I asked myself the question ‘Are your electronic devices serving you well?’ The answer was no and I chose to upgrade to a new desk top computer. I named him Charlie. So far we are getting along very well. Charlie is a lot faster than my old lap top. I like that. However, initially I had to tell Charlie how I wanted [...]
Fortunately, once aware of our triggers, we can learn how to deal with anger more effectively. An experience with a little bird reminded me how important it is to learn how to deal with anger effectively. Last spring, a Robin flew against my window in the morning, luckily the Robin survived, but strangely he didn’t learn from its painful experience. The Robin immediately flew against the window again and [...]
Career direction through life coaching The fear of missing out can have us all tied up in a frenzy. Ruth (not her real name), one of my life coaching clients, used to suffer from fear of missing out. Whenever she was invited to a party she simply had to attend. Even if she felt tired, in need of some alone time, or was already booked to go somewhere else [...]
Shift your thinking to experience life from a fresh perspective! I fasted for a few days last spring. It was an amazing experience of slowing down and becoming more sensitive. While I wasn’t eating food, I felt nourished in so many ways by the smells and sights of spring all around: the fine scent of the cherry blossom, the beauty of the fresh green leaves emerging [...]
How to find your natural energy booster? Have you ever noticed that you feel more engaged and alive in certain places than in others? A beautiful forest, a rushing river or a calm lake all bring me to my inner place of aliveness. They are natural energy boosters for me. I feel connected, calm and at home when I am in nature. One could assume that nature is the [...]
I like learning something new and I like throwing a Frisbee around … even though I am not very good at it. A few years ago a friend invited me to play disc golf with a group of his disc golfing buddies. I like learning something new and I like throwing a Frisbee around in a park with friends, even though I am not very good at it. I [...]
For many people the beginning of the year is a time of New Year’s resolutions. Unfortunately most New Year’s resolutions are broken within the first couple of days or months of the New Year. When we resolve to do things differently in the New Year, we focus on things that are amiss in our lives and overlook the things that are working well already. I encourage you to let go of [...]
