Stumbling upon quaint mom and pop shops makes visiting small towns a real treat and Black Bear Books in Boone, North Carolina is no exception.  

After freezing our snowballs off snow tubing, Allan and I decided to warm up in a bookstore that touted “FIREPLACE” on its marquis.  Sipping hot chocolate next to a fierce fire while reading a local newspaper seemed like a delightful way to defrost.

Upon entering the bookstore, we were surprised by its large stature.  At the back of the store, the girls quickly located the children’s section complete with stacks of award winning literature, a train table and wooden puzzles. 

In such a cozy atmosphere, we found it all too easy to settle into this homey bookstore.  Once we found the regional children’s literature section and a collection of the owner’s son’s favorite books, the girls and I swayed in wooden rocking chairs as we read books from each collection. 

The owner, Karen Walker, welcomed us into her second home with free hot chocolate for the girls and coffee for Allan.  Her hospitality warmed us better than the fireplace. 

Ms Walker shared some of her favorite children’s books with the girls and her own life’s story with Allan and me.  We enjoyed a brief history lesson of her family and the remarkable journey that brought her to settle in Boone. 

Allana curled up in the corner of the children’s stacks reading book after book while Emmalynn played with the puzzles and I snuck away for a few minutes to explore the adult fictional regional section since I prefer bringing books home as souvenirs rather than t-shirts or trinkets. 

While exploring the store, I discovered the employee’s favorite picks, which included some of my favorite reads, such as Pillars of the Earth and Wicked.  Meghan, a young sale associate, offered a brief description of some of the other books spotlighted on the shelves and explained that Ms. Walker holds a contesteach month to see which employee’s picks sell the most books. By choosing Tom Robbins Jitterburg Perfume, we helped one associate get a little closer to winning the prize. 

I returned to the regional fictional literature to continue my hunt for a book set in the Appalachians.  After reading the titles and their summaries over several times, I found one that offered just the scenery I craved: Cataloochee. 

For the girls, I grabbed the Appalachian ABCs and coincidentally, Emmalynn and Allana both selected regional books as well.  Allana chose Jack and the Dragon, which tells the adventure of an Appalachian folk hero.  Emmalynn picked Blue Bowl Down.  Its lovely sing-song pattern deserves a banjo accompaniment.

Ms. Walker continued to pour the hospitality along with the coffee and our visit at Black Bear Books lasted nearly two hours.  So taken with Allana’s love for reading, Ms. Walker offered her a free copy of one of her many Magic Tree House Books and Allana chose Magic Tree House #17: Tonight on the Titanic.

As we wrapped up our visit at the register, Allana noticed Ms. Walker’s collection of gems.  Allana expressed her love for rocks and Ms. Walker insisted that we pay her friend, Doc, a visit at his gem mine before we left Boone as most of the gems proudly displayed in her case came from Doc’s Rocks Gem Mine.  Excited about the prospects she would find there, we promised to take Allana the next day upon Ms. Walker’s recommendation.  To hold them over until then, Ms. Walker gave each girl a gem, however, Ms. Walker and our experience at Black Bear Books was the most precious gem we uncovered that day. 

 ***Photo of Karen and Chris Walker and their son, Caleb, was borrowed from The Mountain Times.***

Picture yourself walking down the street in a busy urban area of New York, London or Los Angeles.  Moving along you are mesmerized by magnificent architecture, the innocence of a child’s laughter, the fancified shop windows, the smells and sounds of the city.  You are completely lost in thought when by the grace of a complete stranger,  you are saved from being run over by a rogue vehicle blowing through a red light.  Your heart is racing and you are wicked stunned.  You thank the super hero on the street by offering him your first born and stumble off  grateful to be alive.  Your wake up call has been delivered.

What will do with this message?

It’s time to get out of your own way and begin taking action in the areas of your life you deem most important. There is no more time for ego-teasing lip service or negative self-talk. If you need help getting focused,  schedule a no cost coaching session with me or another coach out in the world and move one step forward on the path of your desires.

One of my coaching clients is a brilliant creative visionary. Her vision of idealistic greatness paralyzed her for years from taking action on the small things which bit by bit, drop by drop,  add up to the full life she is desperately seeking. Couple this paralysis with brutal self-talk and we have a smidge of a vision versus reality challenge.

Like the fantastical dreamer meandering through the city,  this bright woman was preoccupied with rich textured dreams and magical notions.  She almost missed the harbinger of a tragic nightmare threatening to suck the life from her extraordinary vision.  We are working together to travel back to the beginning of her story with the commitment of making plans and celebrating incremental actionable steps over a clear and specific time line.

Big Ideas —> Plans Phases —> Action Steps  = Critical Path Time Line

Creative people overflowing with ideas and wacky scenarios love to play. Dabbling here and experimenting there can be big fun and certainly not as scary as stepping into your power to create your life’s dream.  I enjoy experimentation as much as any creative,  but have learned that too many trials lure me away from the laser focus I am finally learning how to surrender to and flow with.

As a personal coach I share my time inspiring creative entrepreneurs to accelerate their journey toward a full and balanced life on their terms. In my opinion, the best way to foster liberation is to live it, breath it and study it.  I am ecstatic to shine a focused stream of dazzling golden sunshine with the purpose of illuminating each bold and interesting plan of the people I play with.

Getting Out of your own way looks like this:

• Learning how to be happy with incremental victories that lead to your BIG VISION

• Being grateful for your experience and talents – There is nobody in the Universe quite like you.

• Reminding yourself daily of all you have accomplished

• Setting realistic daily, weekly and quarterly goals

• Kicking your own ass,  hiring a coach or tapping into a mentor to accomplish short-term plans

• Creating an environment of daily creative productivity

• Communicating with like-minded people who are happy to be a part of your support system

Open your eyes and look around.  You can get out of your own way and honor your creative vision.

It is never too late to begin again.

“Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage.”  -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Shann Vander Leek is the Founder of True Balance Life Coaching and Co-founder of Seize True Success. She is a Coach Training Alliance certified professional coach, and certified yoga instructor. Shann is a prolific blogger, published writer and co-author of the Best Selling Book – Wake Up Women BE Happy Healthy & Wealthy. Shann’s personal style and direct approach have guided and inspired many in overcoming personal and professional challenges. Her background in sales, marketing and client development, along with leading a talented sales force for many years prepared her for the business of professional coaching. Shann inspires women in transition to create balance in their lives through personal coaching, yoga and creative expression. Telephone and email consultations make her accessible to clients all over the world. To find out about her Coaching Programs for Women, call Shann at 231.668.111 or visit www.truebalancelifecoaching.com

Discovering your groove and creating a luscious life is all about allowing for grace through your next transition.

Today marks the third anniversary of my flight from corporate America to entrepreneurial Freedom. An auspicious occasion making me grin from ear to ear all day long.  I did it and survived.  Here we are three years later and I am no longer entrenched in the drama of what was.  This new path,  whilst still unfolding,  represents following my bliss.

Is seems only natural to post my transition story to celebrate a wicked cool week.

Enjoy!

Not too long ago my career had been dedicated to sales, mentoring, coaching and leading an exceptional sales force.

For most of my prior life, I was a woman who: was happily married, would earn a six figure income, was a loyal employee, an over achiever, traveled to exotic places, would live in my dream home, and would be involved in the highly charged corporate world forever!

Today I am a woman who: is happily married, the mother of a sweet and healthy daughter, has earned the six figure income, plus all the perks, has traveled to many delightful places, lives in the home of my dreams, and has become a successful professional life and business coach.

Commence with the Transition …

A sacred knowing or astuteness accompanies the first foray into motherhood. Children have a way of smacking you upside the head with an uber dose of what is truly critical. The miracle of child birth became the catalyst for a complete lifestyle transformation. While home on maternity leave I was watching a morning news program and became drawn to an interview with a professional life coach. The attraction was profound. I contacted the television station for more information, found a local coach to talk with, and began to learn about the business of professional coaching. “Co-Active Coaching – New Skills for Coaching People Toward Success in Work and Life” written by coaching pioneers, Laura Whitworth, Henry Kimsey-House and Phil Sandahl was a my first coaching playbook.

When I returned to my career, the coaching process became my revitalized way to lead my sales force. Coaching in the sales environment, gave me a load of practical experience for what would become my true calling.

After a few more loyal years, the high stress levels of being a corporate creature and doing business in someone else’s boardroom was losing its appeal. Even though my career path resulted in the realization of my goals and dreams, I became completely disinterested in corporate culture and, unwilling to jump through any more flaming circus hoops for money.

It’s amusing, and disheartening, when you realize your dedication, smart work, energy, – all the things you put into your career daily – are ONLY for the sake of performing a duty and receiving a paycheck. This new found awareness helped cement my corporate world exit strategy. It was time to let go of the illusion of control that the “big bucks” created.

Not too long ago, I made one of the most important decisions in my life. The promise to leave corporate America and give my entrepreneurial calling a shot. I started preparing my exit strategy. No longer a company creature; my job was surely destroying my soul. I longed to spend my days being left alone by the “powers that be”.  Please understand, my prior career was a lot of fun and a great challenge for a long time. The reason why I excelled and stayed on the path for 18 years had a big part to do with being left alone, to do what I did best. When a new regime change took hold, the corporate culture changed drastically, which led to my slow and certain suffocation. Without the discomfort, I may have never allowed myself to consider following my dreams.

More on discomfort … I was extremely anxious giving up a significant income to go out on my own. For awhile I even tried to trick myself into staying with the CASH. Then I would ultimately realize how many people have gone before me and taken a well planned leap of faith. What ever you want to achieve you can accomplish with great discipline and imagination.

After thoughtful consideration, much manic behavior, conversations with my family and confidantes; moving forward on the path of my dreams was the ONLY option. Sharing your plans and dreams with the people who know you intimately is an excellent way to receive honest feedback. These are the same people who will hold your hand through the transition. Declaring my plan for independence helped me stay on the path to personal freedom.

For about one year, many of my evenings, weekends and lunch hours were dedicated to self awareness and studying for my professional coaching certification. This transition time included, setting a new household budget, reallocating investments, setting up a line of credit, and buying a new car (for the first time in 11 years) The plan was to build my coaching business and the True Balance brand, one day at a time, until I could give my two weeks notice.

Straddling two worlds was fairly easy. The job I no longer enjoyed was palatable because I could see, feel and taste the light of my future. The most difficult part of the divide would turn out to be leaving my sales force. Leaving them behind was my biggest cross to bear until I allowed myself to let go and to understand that each person was amazing in his or her own right and would ultimately be fine in my wake.

During this time, finding humor in the day to day corporate environment was the greatest blessing. Ultimately, you do what ever you can to NOT take yourself too seriously when working through a life changing transition. The discovery of professional humor, allowed for functioning well in the environment and finding some peace in the moment.

Finally, after fourteen years, I left my prior life on my terms. My former employer decided to downsize our sales management group within 60 days of my planned exodus. The interesting part of this equation is three managers were given the responsibility of figuring out who would leave. Did I really jump up and say “pick me, pick me!?” I was thrilled to have the “out” and volunteered to be the “lucky” laid off executive and have never looked back. Thankfully, this scenario meant an unexpected severance package. Synchronicity is such a blessing!

I packed my box, (the same day) apparently my willingness to leave sped up my departure … Said so long to the big bucks, turned in my company SUV, let go of a cushy expense account, and found the courage to walk away from a career that no longer suited me.

Fast-forward three years …

Being in the business of helping people recognize their brilliance is a blast! The focus for the rest of my days is inspiring people do the things they think they cannot do on their own. I am sharing every ounce of my prior business experience to coach professional women in career transition to set big goals, achieve extraordinary results and create balance in their lives.

In three kick ass years I have dreamed and mind mapped my way to:  a professional coaching certification, the creation of two coaching businesses, a yoga teaching certification, a series of Luscious Living playshops, and becoming a best selling co-author. Currently I am doing final edits for my next book after conducting more than 40 interviews with inspirational entrepreneurs.  Life on Your Terms – Stories of Entrepreneurial Freedom will be finished by the end of the year.  DIG IT!

I am grateful for the courage, passion and wonder to live the rest of my life on my terms.

1. Do you have a liberation story you want to share?
2. Are you ready to accelerate living life on your terms?
3. What can you do today to begin moving forward with your next transition?

Shann Vander Leek is the Founder of True Balance Life Coaching and Co-founder of Seize True Success. She is a Coach Training Alliance certified professional coach, and certified yoga instructor. Shann is a prolific blogger, published writer and co-author of the Best Selling Book – Wake Up Women BE Happy Healthy & Wealthy. Shann’s personal style and direct approach have guided and inspired many in overcoming personal and professional challenges. Her background in sales, marketing and client development, along with leading a talented sales force for many years prepared her for the business of professional coaching. Shann inspires women in transition to create balance in their lives through personal coaching, yoga and creative expression. Telephone and email consultations make her accessible to clients all over the world. To find out about her Coaching Programs for Women, call Shann at 231.668.111 or visit www.truebalancelifecoaching.com

The derision and drama on blogs, news and broadcast nowadays is entertaining, like a domino of tabloids back-to-back. And while we instinctively know that insistent self-actualization is an incredibly banal form of entertainment, it remains so vast in its infectiousness, and so strong in its self-referential feeding, that navel-gazing is now suffocating in its empire.

Let’s poke some holes for air.

You are not genuine because you told me of your heartbreak, or your success or your disease or your strengths or your weaknesses or miscarriage or move or relationship or promotion or demotion or disability or conflict or how your cat peed outside of its litter box.

Gross over-sharing is not encouraging or revolutionary or innovative. You are not absolved because you made what was once private now public.

Enough of the cultish drippy-rainbowed sentences: “What’s holding you back? Yourself;” “Motivation is first about taking that first step;” “Do whatever you want, your intuition will guide you;” “Force yourself to look inward;” “Start telling yourself positive things instead of negative things.”

Enough crowdsourcing your life’s misdeeds, your life’s lessons, your life’s minutiae. Enough with bogus empowerment, dramatics, and inflated realities in the name of support, transparency, attention, acceptance. That is not authenticity. That is allegiance to a culture of nineties motivational speeches.

“For me, the demand that everything be paraded in the public space and that there be no internal forum is a glaring sign of the totalitarianization of democracy,” philosopher Jacques Derrida maintains. “If a right to a secret is not maintained then we are in a totalitarian space.”

“Which is to say,” author Zadie Smith argues in Changing My Mind, “enough of human dissection, of entering the brains of characters, cracking them open, rooting every secret out!”

Authenticity is not about revealing it all, nor complete transparency, nor opening the door and shining a very bright light on every raised goosebump. Authenticity is not about blurring public with private. Authenticity is not about the flailing and flapping of our entire hearts and minds to an audience of mirrored hosts.

We have a right to our private lives. Dear God, we have a right to keep the corners of our lives to ourselves. And it is delicious to do so.

Gulp of Air.

My friend and sister entrepreneur wrote a great article about her experience  hiring and working with a professional coach. If you have ever considered working with a transition coach this post will help you make an informed decision.

• I’m stuck. My business has been moving along for the past few years, but I feel like I’m in a rut, doing the same old things the same old way. Or, I’m new at this business, and can’t figure out my next step, but don’t want to (or can’t) take too much time and energy away from my work.’

Why reinvent the wheel? Whether you’re a new business owner or a seasoned entrepreneur who just needs a new perspective, you can benefit from a coach who has direct experience in building a business. A good coach can help you choose your direction and give you action steps to reach your goal.

• I want more; Clients, income, time. These are three things I never seem to have enough of. It’s time to move to the next level!

Who better to help see you toward your goals than someone who has been successful him/herself? Growing your business involves calculated risks and a leap of faith. A good coach can help you assess your readiness for growth allowing you to carefully look before you leap!

• I’m out of ideas. I want to create a new product or program, but I’m not sure where to begin. What are my options?

Not knowing what’s out there, what the market trends are, and what works / doesn’t work is often a hurdle to starting a new product or offering a new service. Why not brainstorm with someone who has their ear to the ground in the online market? A seasoned coach can help you develop your ideas, become more market-savvy and avoid pitfalls.

• I know what to do, but I need a push. I have all the tools and knowledge I need to reach my goal/create and roll out my new product or service. The only obstacle in my way is ME.

You need somebody to answer to besides yourself. A reliable coach can help you set goals and will hold you accountable, so you’ll stop procrastinating and start succeeding.

• I’m burned out! Truthfully, I’m not enjoying myself, and I’m not sure I want to be in this business anymore.

Before you give up all you have worked for, consult someone who has been there. A coach can help you identify what aspects of your business are causing you distress, and do something about it. Whether you need to let go of a few things, or make a radical shift in your business model, it helps to have someone at your side who can help you sort things out,be your biggest cheerleader, and offer workable solutions so you can do what you love, and love what you do.

Hiring a coach was one of the best things I have done to help me navigate my business through growth, change, and some tough economic times.  If you are at a crossroads in your business, it may be time to consider working with a coach. It is an investment that can save you time, money, and sanity as you build your business!

Want to know about Life Coaching and Business Coaching ?  You are welcome to visit the True Balance Website for access to an interesting global study, 101 Things to Work on With A Professional Coach, and a complimentary life on your terms coaching session.

Donna Toothaker is CEO and founder of 1st VA the highly sought-after online marketing and consulting company. 1st VA specializes in providing online marketing support and services to entrepreneurs and solopreneurs who wish to effectively build or improve their online presence. To discover how 1st VA can help your business – visit http://www.1stva.com.

Stress Reduction Sunset at Esch Beach

Several of my entrepreneurial friends and coaching clients feel extra stress as they move through seasonal transitions.  The slower paced days of summer kick in to the high paced energy of Autumn immediately after Labor Day weekend. The abrupt change, no matter how well planned for,  can be stressful.

Stress is defined as a state of mental or emotional strain resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances. Science has proved that stress damages our DNA and can shorten our lifespan.

Have you ever been so stressed out that you notice a change in your complexion, body weight, or sleep patterns?

Getting control of stress is paramount to living a healthy lifestyle.

If you are experiencing a lot of stress, act now to eliminate as much anxiety as possible. I’ve found the best way to handle stress is to learn to relax your body with stress management techniques. Regular exercise, yoga, soothing music, meditation and breathing exercises can be very helpful in relaxing your body, mind and soul.

Lower transitional stress levels by implementing some of these stress busting ideas today.

Seasonal Stress Reduction Action Plan:

1. Create a Joy or Gratitude Journal

Observe and record ten things that bring you joy or that you are thankful for every day.

2. Be Quiet

Schedule 15 minutes every day to get centered and attract the feeling of peacefulness.

3. Move your Body

Schedule time for some sort of body movement every day.

If you don’t like to exercise, consider these options: Dance to your favorite song, walk on a woodland path, stroll on the beach, ride your bike. Just get moving.

4. Listen to Music

When you are feeling overwhelmed, listen to your favorite music to lift your spirits. Soothing music is a universal stress buster.

5. Make Time For Extreme Self-Care

Plan a minimum of 30 minutes every day to do something just for YOU.

6. Add More Healthy Foods to Your Diet

Make sure you are drinking plenty of water, eating leafy green vegetables and
snacking on lots of of fruit every day.

When you start to live a lower stress lifestyle, you will be amazed by how much better you feel. Your friends and colleagues will notice your transformation and you will be walking on the path of true balance.

You deserve to take better care of YOU.

Shann Vander Leek is the Founder of True Balance Life Coaching and Co-founder of Seize True Success. She is a Coach Training Alliance certified professional coach, and certified yoga instructor. Shann is a prolific blogger, published writer and co-author of the Best Selling Book – Wake Up Women BE Happy Healthy & Wealthy. Shann’s personal style and direct approach have guided and inspired many in overcoming personal and professional challenges. Her background in sales, marketing and client development, along with leading a talented sales force for many years prepared her for the business of professional coaching. Shann inspires women in transition to create balance in their lives through personal coaching, yoga and creative expression. Telephone and email consultations make her accessible to clients all over the world. To find out about her Coaching Programs for Women, call Shann at 231.668.111 or visit www.truebalancelifecoaching.com

Lately the current of my mind has been terribly engaged. The feeling is like being pulled under and dragged out to sea in a riptide of psychological activity. I seem to be rolling with big ideas, spilling over with tiny tasks and overflowing with unfocused creativity.

All of this mental activity leads to feeling scattered. The gears in my brain spin and then lock up.  The more I check in with how I am feeling and what I need, the more I realize the lack of focus has everything to to do with the Autumnal transition and my new, not yet comfortable routine for Fall.

It’s time to get clear, get focused and re energize. It time to swim away from the tumultuous surface current that has a hold of me.

The plan is to revise my daily schedule. The trick to living a balanced life is understanding we are always in a state of change. Recalibrating daily habits and swimming away from the rip current will help me slow down, focus my energy and get back to shore.

Here is my plan for nourishing my hijacked spirit whilst participating in the new pace of my life.  I hope you can use this life ring of ideas to quiet your mind and rescue you from your own undercurrent of unfocused madness.  : -)

Getting Quiet

Making time to sit quietly each morning is lovely way to begin each day. Even 5 minutes will make a difference.  Enjoying a fresh cup of coffee in silence or creating time to sit and reflect. Writing your thoughts in a journal may be your choice for quiet time.  I like to mix things up.  How about you?  What do you do to get quiet?

Sharing time with positive people

Sharing time with positive uplifting people is key to increasing your energy and lifting your spirit. Anybody who brings you down is not part of the solution. Take inventory of the people and personalities in your life.  Your energy will mirror the people you surround yourself with.

Infuse your life with nature

As I write this I am looking out the window at a huge maple tree just beginning to share her new fall colors with me. I have a pickle jar filled with Petoskey stones on my desk and small red and yellow sunflower that is on the ready to retire.  I bring the natural world into my environment to keep me grounded.

As important as it is to bring nature inside, it’s also a good idea to get out in the natural world. Walk along a woodland path, skip some flat stones across the lake, tack a sack lunch to a nearby park and breathe in the beauty of nature.  How do you infuse your life with nature?

Daily yoga practice

As a student of yoga and yoga instructor I realize the importance of honoring my body with a regular yoga practice. When I became a teacher I stopped being a student. It’s time to balance my love for yoga by making room in my life to be a yoga student.  Do you have a daily yoga practice?  Do you want to learn more about what that might look like?

Cultivating mindfulness

Unconscious behavior is easy to step back into when you feel overwhelmed and out of sorts. Practicing mindfulness will improve your outlook on life and teach you a lot about the way you are, the way you roll.  What does it mean to be mindful?  To me it is thoughtful consideration as well as witnessing your own behavior.  Minfulness is a  gift that can be internally mined at any time.  How do you cultivate mindfulness?

“Happiness is not a matter of events; it depends upon the tides of the mind”

- Alice Meynell

Shann Vander Leek is the Founder of True Balance Life Coaching and Co-founder of Seize True Success. She is a Coach Training Alliance certified professional coach, and certified yoga instructor. Shann is a prolific blogger, published writer and co-author of the Best Selling Book – Wake Up Women BE Happy Healthy & Wealthy. Shann’s personal style and direct approach have guided and inspired many in overcoming personal and professional challenges. Her background in sales, marketing and client development, along with leading a talented sales force for many years prepared her for the business of professional coaching. Shann inspires women in transition to create balance in their lives through personal coaching, yoga and creative expression. Telephone and email consultations make her accessible to clients all over the world. To find out about her Coaching Programs for Women, call Shann at 231.668.111 or visit www.truebalancelifecoaching.com

I coach creative people who are interested in discovering their true passions in life.  What I’ve found in the process is creative people are often filled with enormous amounts of curiosity and can easily get side tracked and lose their focus.  It’s an honor to inspire creatives to define their passion and live a full life.

5 Steps to uncover your passion:

1. Awareness

Make time to take inventory of what you love about your life. What Are you involved with that feels right.  What crazy-making areas of your life can you let go of? Stop bumping around and start paying attention to your daily actions. When you’re aware of your actions,  you can make mindful choices leading to a future filled with purpose and passion.

2. Positivity

Begin to train your brain to become more positive. Begin now.  Our thoughts can often take off like a runaway train ending up in a pile of debris – should we choose to let our negative thoughts and emotions get away from us.

If what you are doing now is stale and uncomfortable, try focusing on the parts of your job that you love.  How can you look at your current job with fresh eyes? Many of us have to take “combat pay” for a period of time in a position that no longer suit us.  If you are in this situation, do what you can to improve your current reality by exploring your options outside of you current job. Sometimes the exploration process will balance out your discomfort. You may even uncover opportunities within your environment that seemed hidden before your introspection.

3. Reality

If you are working for people who are disrespectful and your daily life is a living hell, it is time to move on.  Your life is more important than you can imagine. Years ago some of my peers thought I was straight-crazy to want to leave my cushy job. What they didn’t understand is that no amount of cushion can absolve an abuse of power. Sometimes you have to save your own life and move on.

4. Clarity

What do you want for your life?  Have you taken any time to dig deep and answer this question? What are good at? What do you enjoy doing? What would you learn If you were to ask your closest family and friends what they see you strengths are.  How can you use your strengths to answer the first question.  Get Clear. I recommend reading the book Callings by Greggory Levoy. You are also welcome to contact me anytime for a complimentary life coaching session.

5.  Creativity

Have fun diving in and exploring your options by playing with a creative process like mind mapping (visual brain storming) to uncover your career options. Keep the activity light and fun. There is no room for judgment here. Just let your ideas flow and get them down on paper.  After this process is completed you can begin researching your options.

Discovering your path with passion includes awareness of what you love as well as what you can release, cultivating a positive attitude, being realistic about your current situation, allowing for time to get clear about what you want for your life,  and creatively exploring your options.

Discovering your groove and creating a luscious life is all about allowing for grace through your next transition.

Shann Vander Leek is the Founder of True Balance Life Coaching and Co-founder of Seize True Success. She is a Coach Training Alliance certified professional coach, and certified yoga instructor. Shann is a prolific blogger, published writer and co-author of the Best Selling Book – Wake Up Women BE Happy Healthy & Wealthy. Shann’s personal style and direct approach have guided and inspired many in overcoming personal and professional challenges. Her background in sales, marketing and client development, along with leading a talented sales force for many years prepared her for the business of professional coaching. Shann inspires women in transition to create balance in their lives through personal coaching, yoga and creative expression. Telephone and email consultations make her accessible to clients all over the world. To find out about her Coaching Programs for Women, call Shann at 231.668.111 or visit www.truebalancelifecoaching.com

“So you really hurt yourself, didn’t you?”  Tiffany asked me the other evening.  “It has to be bad, because I know you.  You’re a shake-it-off kind-of-gal.  I’ve seen you run through some pretty bad pains.  You rest and then you’re back on your feet in no time.  But this has got to be bad if you’re not running for weeks.”

Yes, it really is that bad.  Taking deep breaths still hurts, so I can’t even imagine how I could run when it feels like I am being crushed.  The pain conveniently sits under my bra line, so underwire brasseries only make it worse. 

For the past two weeks since I crashed my bike, I’ve tried differently physical activities to test my limits.  Swimming hurts.  Mopping and sweeping the floor is a painful chore, but at least now I have a valid excuse for an untidy house. 

Fortunately, sitting at my computer is pain free, which is doing wonders for my backside.  Blogging, shopping on-line, tweeting on Twitter, updating my Facebook and watching videos You Tube do not require heavy breathing.  Well, I guess it would depend on what videos I view on You Tube and of course, I am referring to comedy sketches, because laughing still really hurts.  What did you think I meant?

“What does a mommy blogger runner write about when she can’t run?” Lori asked me the other day.  Then, Tiffany also commented on the variety of interesting topics on Run DMT since my injury.  At least I am expanding my blog’s reading audience!

So, what exactly does a “mom on the run” write about when she isn’t running?  She writes about how she has missed running for a fortnight and feels like her body is turning to mush.  And have I mentioned my face is breaking out too?  I need my stress release again.  I want my ultimate “me time” back before I lose my mind as well as my body.  Since bruised ribs take about month to heal, I only have one more fortnight to go!

Is your relationship in jeopardy and are you wondering whether to leave or stay? Here are some questions to ask yourself before you make this life changing decision.

1. Have you stopped blaming your mate and accepted 100% responsibility for your part in this relationship?

• One hundred percent!! Not fifty percent or seventy percent.
• Accepting full responsibility for your life and the relationship you created automatically gives you back the power to create something different going forward.
• Regardless of what happened, you decided to stay in this relationship as long as you have.  You could have left at any time. 

1. Are you willing to do whatever you have to do to work on your issues?

• First, are you willing to look at just yourself and not your partner?
• Unless you are prepared to focus on your stuff, you will always end up making excuses.
• The best time to leave a relationship is when you know you have done all you can do to work on your issues and still you are not in sync with your partner.

1. Do you feel this is where you “belong”, no matter what the trials and tribulations?

• Is there more good stuff than bad stuff? 
• I have a friend that says, “We love the ones who stay”. So many people are willing to bolt once the real living takes place. People are different from one another. No matter how much you care for someone, there are going to be times when you simply don’t want to be there.
• Sometimes we just know this is where we belong.

1. Are you willing to be brutally honest with yourself and your partner?

• Being brutally honest means not ignoring the red flags and knowing when enough is enough.
• Never stay when you are being physically abused or emotionally disrespected and diminished.
• Leave when you feel you have done all the things you need to do for you to make it right and it still feels wrong.