Kim Grabovsky

The Power of Meditation

This past weekend I attended an event called "The Power of Meditation" with Ilchi Lee, the found of Dahn Yoga.  Below are notes I took that I believe will help you to improve your life.

Key points:

• Meditation and brain exercises are helpful for connecting the mind to the body.  Yoga means to remove the barrier between the mind and body so that they operate as one.  It's full consciousness so that we don't live life just in our heads most of the time. 

• The reason we under perform is because of anxieties and fears.  Meditation centers us and keeps us from getting anxious.

• It's important to guard our energy.  If we do things we don't like, we get tired.  For this reason, it's important to know what we like doing so we can more of those things that give us energy and less of the things that drain our energy.  

• Meditation and yoga help to cleanse the unconscious mind.  It helps you to stop being a slave to your emotions so that you will be master over your emotions.  

Things we can do:

• Pay compliments to people every day, especially to family members and yourself.  Even if it's hard to compliment someone, you can still find something to compliment.  

• Hold on to your hopes and dreams because without those, we become anxious.  

• Good and bad energy is produced through information.  Clear out the negative info. in your environment such as the negative people and watching the news. 

 

This One Thing

by Andy Stanley

You want powerful change to happen in your life....do this one thing.  

We all make resolutions. We all break resolutions. But if we're honest, there is something in each of our lives - a habit, a relationship, a debt - that deserves our attention this year. In this message, Andy recounts the Old Testament story of Nehemiah and draws out a lesson that can be the key to finally accomplishing the one thing we each need to put our minds to this year.

Listen to this message here:  http://www.buckheadchurch.org/messages/this-one-thing

 

 

Stop Throwing Kisses

Talk about small things that make a big difference.  

Over 20 million Hershey's Kisses are wrapped in 133 square miles of aluminum foil each day. That's a lot of landfill waste we can kiss goodbye by recycling.

Speaking of "deep in the ground..."

A used aluminum can is recycled and back on the grocery store shelf as a new can in as little as 60 days. If they were thrown in the garbage, they'd still be deep in the ground 500 years from now.  

Source:  Recycling-revolution.com

Back to Work...Meaningful Work!

Wow, it's been so long since I last blogged...how sad!  How I've missed connecting with you all!  I just noticed all of the comments coming in from the last few months and I appreciate them so much.

Here's an updated summary of what's been going on during my hiatus for the last few months.  

I've been traveling A LOT since October!  It first started with a visit to my cousin's in addition to attending a friend's beautiful and touching wedding in NYC.  Then, I took a trip to Utah for 10 days.  There I partook in a tennis camp  and went hiking through beautiful Arches and Zion National Parks.  These national treasures are a must see! Then, I moved to the Washington, D.C. area.  Next, I went to Puerto Rico and discovered the bioluminesence, single-celled organisms that glow a fluorescent blue when touched in the water.  It was so cool.  Then the holidays came and I visited my family and especially enjoyed my new baby girl niece.  For New Years, my husband and I spent the weekend with friends at a cabin in western Virginia.  That was great fun!  It has been such an adventure!  Through all that, we have recently unpacked and are getting settled in nicely here so now it's back to work...meaningful work.  

I've started coaching again and it's not a surprise that my clients are looking for new jobs.  They want jobs that are more reflective of who they are and are in line with their purpose.  

So, here are a few resources that may help you with your job hunt as you begin the new year with a bang!

www.ilostmyjob.com

www.flexjobs.com

www.glassdoor.com

www.moo.com

And here are a few random ideas to help you prime the pump as you come up with your own ways to get connected to find meaningful work.

1.  Join associations related to the job or industry where you're seeking employment.  People who join associations are typically in the know and enjoy community and helping others.   They would be a great resource for your job search.

2.  Make a Youtube video about something you love.  Show that you're an expert at something by creating a how-to video that can help someone else.  

3.  Think about your talents, hobbies, skills, passions, and areas of expertise.  Now, how can you get paid doing that? 

4.  What opportunity or need to see in the world?  If something about the world bothers you and you think, someone should do something about that, maybe that someone is you.  

Enjoy the process!

Gems Uncovered by Alison King

 

Thank you Alison for sharing the following "Hidden Gems" in your life! 

·         Photos – I have taken quite a lot lately, but haven’t put them into books or put recent ones up around the house.  I just bought a Groupon for a photobook that expires at the end of this month, which is helpfully giving me a deadline.

·         Pantry – quite a while ago we bought materials to create a pantry in the basement, and have the space.  I just need to put the shelves up to have a good storage space for extra food.

·         Cooking – I have a bunch of cookbooks, but tend to have similar meals most nights.  I’ve declared this “new food month” for myself and just this week have started to try new recipes.  So far, it has been mixed as far as how well the new recipes are turning out, but the successes count more than the failures since they will expand my rotation.  Tonight I try butternut squash soup.   **By the way, I still have your Joy of Cooking – I need to give it to you the next time we get together.  I really have enjoyed it.

·         Painting – There is a space in my bedroom that is screaming out for a painting, and I have all of the materials.  I just need to actually do something about it and paint.  That would make me happy to wake up to and I would enjoy the process.

·         Guitar – I haven’t been playing too much lately, but Elizabeth loves it when I play to her.  I am working on mastering “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”.  Hopefully I will get that one down this month.

Hidden Gems Contest

Do you notice when unseemingly related things, or synchronicities, keep showing up in your life? It's as if you're supposed to learn a lesson. The definition of a synchronicity is an apparently meaningful coincidence in time of two or more similar or identical events that are casuallly unrelated. I'd like to share with you my synchronistic story with the hope of providing INSPIRATION.   

  

The other night I had dinner with the girls from an old Bible study group. Megan, one of the girls, was telling us about how she and her husband raked 2 years worth of leaves from their backyard which equated to 81 bags of leaves. Unbeknownst to them, their backyard was like a diamond in the rough. Beneath the thick stacks of layered dead leaves, they uncovered the most amazing backyard. Hidden in all the muck of packed rotted leaves lay 3 stone walkways, a cascading waterfall, and a creek all laiden with beautiful stones. That evening, Megan and Gene had dinner outside in their backyard and delighted in a wonder they didn't know they had, all along in their backyard. This begs the question, what is the gem in your life, right under your nose that, if uncovered, would give you great joy?

 

This morning I completed a Bible study on contentment. What a message for me! I admittedly am hardly ever content with things. Part of me really likes that about myself as it drives me and makes me want to work towards continuous improvement. I love to make things better. The flip side is that I find myself almost never satisfied as I am always longing for better with what I currently don't have.

 

The synchronistic message I've been getting is to rest in the contentment that God has already provided. The gems have been placed all around you and me. Contentment is not over there. It is not a destination. It's in the here and now. It's about appreciating what is already right in front of us that we may have been overlooking.

 

As Sheryl Crow says in her song, Soak Up the Sun, "it's not having what you want, it's wanting what you've got."

 

What do you have that you didn't know you had? Open your eyes. A famous French novelist, Marcel Proust, once said, "the real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands, but in seeing with new eyes." The treasures are all around you and so obvious that they're easy to overlook. If you're having a hard time seeing them, ask a friend.

 

If you've ever watched little kids at an Easter Egg Hunt, it's very much like that. From the outside, we see that they're walking right past the Easter eggs and we wish we could point it out. The treasure is closer than you think.   What's the treasure in front of you? 

 

I Challenge You....

  

to give credit to 3 things, like the backyard, that seem like a nuisance right now but if unearthed, would give you great delight. And for the overachievers, for maximum joy and delight, I challenge you to find 10.

 

"Hidden Gems" CONTEST 

 

For the next 5 weeks, I'm having a "Hidden Gems" contest for the person who sends me the most inspirational example of a "great treasure" they have overlooked in their current life. This can be in the form of a story, a video, or any other medium you chose. I'll narrow it down to the top 3 and we'll take a vote and have a winner on November 18th. Results will be posted on my blog the week of Thanksgiving.

 

Rules:

 

1.  Email your story, picture, and/or video to kim@mycoachkim.com with the subject line "Hidden Gems Contest" by November 11th. 

 

2.  Submit as many "Hidden Gems" as you want. 

 

Prize:

  

The winner will receive 3 free career/life planning sessions.  

 

Purpose:

 

To encourage you to find your hidden treasures as well as inspire and encourage others to find theirs. To provide more ideas, inspiration, and encouragement to others, I will post on my website any stories that you are willing to share. No story is too great or too small.   Creativity, innovation, and a permission to fail are required.  Won't you join me in re-engaging with life?  Find the extraordinary in the ordinary. 

 

Happy Hunting :-)

 

Kim Grabovsky 

One of a Kind

I don't watch much tv but tonight as I was packing, I turned on X Factor.  I found the backdrop of the singing to be stunning and the music quite impressive and uplifting.  Anyway, I caught the tail end of Drew Ryniewicz only to catch Simon's reaction.   From what I could tell, she took his breath away.  Curious, I decided to look her up on youtube and found her audition video which I share below.

What I like about this is that she took Justin Bieber's song and made her own.  It just goes to show you how we are each uniquely made and beautiful just the way we are.  Whatever you do in life, make it your own.  No one else can do it better.  You're on the right track baby, you were born this way.

Enjoy!

 

Who Are You?

 

I attended a Christian marriage retreat a few months ago in which we identified our "hot" buttons.   In case your mind is in the gutter, let me clarify what I mean by "hot" buttons.  These are things that we are responsible for that can set us off into an emotional tailspin in my relationships if we don't properly manage them.  One of my buttons is when I feel my self-worth is being tested.  If I'm criticized for something or feel like I failed at something, I have a tendency to say to myself, "see, yet another example of you not being good enough."  What a lie!  It's as if I tied my self-worth to how well I execute or perform on things.  In reality, I am good enough because I am a child of God and Christ died on the cross for me.  My worth is based not on what I do or not do, but rather, who God is and the grace he has already given me.  Anyway, one of the ways they suggested at the retreat to combat the negative voices that pop into our heads, aka Satan's lies, is to memorize some of the following bible verses that counter them.  Give it a try! 

Psalm 139:13-14 ESV

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.

Song of Solomon 4:7 ESV

You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you.

Ephesians 2:10 ESV

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Luke 12:7 ESV

Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.

 

Are You Having Fun Yet?

 

Do you ever get so caught up in the busyness of life that you forget to have fun?   While preparing for my first 'Toastmaster's' speech, I realized that I put one of my most fun activities on a shelf and left it there.   My first speech is an 'icebreaker,' one in which I tell the audience about myself.   As I put together my outline, my love of ballroom dancing, specifically waltz, came up.  What do I want to tell people about the waltz?  What do I LOVE about the waltz?  I could write a poem on it as I'm so in love with it. 

What do I LOVE about waltz? 

I love getting lost in the music.  When the conditions are just right, I'm in complete unison with my partner, the music, and the world.  It's as if I disappear completely and I imagine I'm flying through the clouds as the music plays.  I don't even know what I'm doing or where I'm going.  It's not a cognitive thing.  I don't have to do an ounce of thinking.  I'm just in flow.  My body just knows what to do.  It's the most wonderful feeling in the world!   I become one with everything and everyone around me that I don't even notice me.   My heart swells when I dance and it seems to envelop everything  around me.  It's pure ecstasy!   It's beyond FUN!   Anyway, I can't believe I forgot how fun it is that I'm setting a goal to make it a priority and get back into it right now! 

What do you do to have fun?  What makes your heart soar?  When will you start?

Are You Prepared?

 

Part of having a strong Personal Foundation for your life is being prepared for life events and having a legal plan.   I'm happy to report that I have one.  I recently met Robin Applelbaum, of Pre-paid Legal Services, and I highly recommend you give her a call at 770-380-0691  if you don't already have a legal plan.  For $36/ month on a no contract basis, you too can be covered. 

Below are 15 Reasons to get a Legal Plan:

15.  You don't have an up-to-date will.

14.  You get a speeding ticket.

13.  You are buying or selling your home.

12.  You adopt a child.

11.  Your car is damaged by a hit-and-run driver.

10.  You don't have a living will or medical power of attorney.

9.  You need a patent for an invention.

8. You need a copyright for your manuscript.

7.  A repairman chages more than a given estimate.

6.  You are scheduled to appear in small claims court.

5.  Your new house has bad plumbing and a leaky roof.

4.  You have a fender bender while driving a friend's car.

3.  A retail store won't accept the return of a defective merchandise.

2.  A repairman won't stand behind his work.

1.  You own a small business.