Welcome new subscribers! Coaching Mastery News is a quarterly newsletter for professionals committed to excellence in coaching.

Created by Lisa Kramer, MSW, PCC, Life and Relationship Coach, and president of Living with Intention, LLC a coaching and training company.

Inside this Issue:

• Feature Article: Living with Intention in 2008
• Mentor-Coaching Group Offerings
• Upcoming Calendar Events

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Living with Intention in 2008

It’s hard to believe that another year is coming to an end. As the New Year approaches, it is a perfect time to reflect on your experiences from the past year in preparation for the coming year.  What successes have you experienced? What challenges have you overcome? What do you want to create in the coming year? The following exercise will assist you to ‘complete the old’ and ‘create the new’.  In doing so, you can gracefully let go of the past year and set your intentions for the coming year. I complete this exercise for myself and with my clients each year. The process of taking the time to go through each step is empowering, enlightening and energizing. It is also fun to reflect on the intentions set from the preceding year and see what has manifested.    

Completing the Old

Step One

Begin the exercise by reflecting on the past year, 2007, in each area of your life. You may want to use the Wheel of Life** for this step.

• List all of your Wins, Successes, and Breakthroughs
• List all of your Losses, Disappointments and Breakdowns

Regardless of whether the item is a “win” or a “loss”, you are not as likely to take on the next opportunity in your life unless you are complete with past accomplishments and disappointments. When you complete, you create space energetically for new things to show up in your life.

Here are some examples:

• Win –  In 2007, I sold my house and down-sized by moving into a townhouse. It felt great to go through the process of cleaning out the place I had lived in for the past 23 years, sell the house in less than a month (before the real estate market took a downturn), and find the perfect place to live.
• Win –  In 2007, I launched my new website. The process of writing the copy for the site, selecting the photos and collaborating with my web designer was very affirming for me.
• Loss – In 2007, my plans to visit my son who was studying abroad fell through. It was disappointing for me to miss the opportunity to spend time with him during his semester abroad.  

As you write out each win and loss, take some time to reflect on it. What do you experience now as you think about it? Notice any emotional charge that surfaces. Do not judge it; simply notice it and allow it to be there. Then ask the question, “What have I learned from this experience?”

Step Two

Choose 5-7 lessons you have learned this past year that you want to take into 2008. When thinking of what lessons to include, remember that you will want to consciously use these lessons in the coming year.
Here are two examples:

• Lesson – In 2007, I discovered that I can feel gratitude regardless of the outcome of a particular situation.    
• Lesson – In 2007, I once again declared my commitment to my business by redesigning my website.      

Creating the New

Looking at all areas of your life, imagine ahead to December 2008. 

• Write a list of your Wins, Successes and Breakthroughs for 2008.  Be specific and write them as though they have already happened.
• Create a Right Brain Vision for the coming year. This might take the form of a poem, story, collage, or drawing; anything that captures the essence and excitement of the intentions you set for the coming year.
• Find a special place in your home or office to display the Right Brain Vision. The Vision will serve as a reminder of what you wish to manifest in your life. 

If you wish to use this exercise specifically for your business, I suggest that you add the following questions:

Completing the Old:

• What went well?
• What am I most proud of?
• Where did I have the most fun?
• What am I happy to leave behind?
• What parts of the business have momentum?
• What helped gain that momentum?

Creating the New:

• How do I keep the momentum going?
• How do I apply it to new areas?

**For a copy of the Wheel of Life, go to: http://www.LivingWithIntention.com/wol.pdf
To schedule a coaching session with Lisa Kramer to Complete the Old and Create the New, contact her at lisa@livingwithintention.com or (610) 292-3090.