How often do you step back and ask yourself, "How am I doing at living the life I want to live?"
As I pondered my answer to this question this month, I thought about you. While we can't plan some of these occasions, we can learn from moments like them in powerful ways. This month I had some significant events that caused me to ponder my story.
Want to learn something about yourself- something really remarkable?
1. Go to a funeral, especially a funeral of someone you have loved and admired.
We sat with family and celebrated the life of Ren's dad, this bigger than life kind of guy most of his life. He was both big and tall in stature. But as others shared their stories of Ray, we were reminded over and over of how he stood tall in their lives too. Stories of young lives touched, and men and women challenged to take some bold next steps. As family, we shared stories private to us. We were reminded of the ways that Daddy Ray's life had touched ours - and how we were different because of it. We saw again where we came from and all that was part of our heritage during our together time in hospice and at his memorial.
2. Spend time 'back home'.
I spent two weeks in my home county, traveling between my mom-in-love and my parents. I had spent two weeks there in February as well, when my dad suffered a heart attack. Having some extended time 'back home' allowed me time to love on our parents, connect with old friends, remember the 'good ole times' and the dreams of a young girl.
3. Speak in front of a home town crowd.
The local Wolf Creek Museum hosted a book signing for Lovely Traces of Hope. People came that I haven't seen in a long time. I had 30 minutes to tell my story to people who had been part of the early days. They knew me when! Seeing my words through their eyes made me more grateful than ever for their role in my story and helped me see parts of it differently
4. Celebrate a milestone birthday.
Yep, for me it was the 60th! Wow! Usually I take some time to get away and ponder the last year and consider what I wanted for the next. But with all I had going on this year, I'm just now getting around to it. I have been grateful for all the things I mentioned above to help me think fresh about how far I've come and where I still want to go. Instead of pondering a year at a time, I'm more aware than ever of the scope of my LIFE- and the LIFE I want yet.
5. Attend a workshop that raises the bar for you.
I spent 48 hours with Barefoot Executive, Carrie Wilkerson and friends in Dallas over my birthday. Carrie helped me/us look at what we are doing in business and get clear on what we should do next. I saw that I'm not where I want to be yet- but I have come a very long way in understanding the difference I want to make in the lives of women, especially to help them be all they were made to be too.
6. Experience a change in someone else's life that affects you.
Recently Ren made a job change. In some ways, life as I know it just keeps going. But in other ways, I must reconsider how to make the most of this new space. I must re-evaluate my next steps and see if they are still the direction I will go as we go forward together.
All of these events have revealed truth about my life; taught me remarkable things that have affirmed, challenged, inspired, grieved, declared, defined who I am, where I've been and where I'm going.
I'm taking some time to think about what that all means; how my story is truly remarkable.
How about you?
What are the big events in your life that are revealing to you the truth about you?
What are you learning?
Have your thought about the fact that YOUR story is REMARKABLE too?
Listen- I'm a life coach. I'm asking because I really want to know. So leave a comment below - or send me an email at kathy@kathyburrus.com.
Can't wait to hear your story.
Kathy
P.S. We don't just learn about ourselves in the big stuff. I'll talk more about that in my next post.