Reflecting on my challenge...

This challenge has been very interesting for me.  As you can see I haven't been great at writing something every day and I have gotten  behind.  This is mostly about just getting a enough peace to sit down and collect my thoughts.
That said,  what I have done is not gone a day without asking myself about what I appreciate about myself.
This is an exercise that I don't think I have really done before so it has made me more self aware.

Areas of appreciation have been,  enjoying my guitar practise more and appreciating the level of skill I have and the enjoyment it gives me. I have realised also that I so often lose hope in myself and I appreciate that I am more aware of this and need to do something about that.

I think this challenge has made me look for reasons to appreciate myself everyday.  Not in  cocky way but in a way that is self edifying and realistic. This gives balance for those times when we tell ourselves that we are worthless.

So there is more to come but maybe not in a regular way ;-)

Saturday 24th May

So what do I appreciate about myself on last Saturday?

I went swimming with my kids which was a (painful physically) joy!
I appreciated having fun.
I appreciated being a dad.
I appreciated my part in my home.

I know that I am catching up.....  More to come soon!

Four days of Appreciating myself

Ok,  so I found the challenge hard and it has been four days since I last wrote on this blog.

So I will reflect on the days missed and summarise my appreciating.

Wednesday 21st May 2014

I sat with my awesome client and discussed how to build business for his new app.
It seemed clear that he appreciated talking about his plans with me. I appreciated his trust and being lucky enough to work with him.  Every opportunity to work with clients is special to me. It is part of my purpose in life to help people do better and I appreciated being reminded of that.

Thursday 22nd May

I spent the day at a distributor meeting in Ghent.  At the end of the day the organiser arranged some live music. There were two acts.  Both very different.  I was fascinated by the musicianship of the people playing.  It stirred something musical in me.  I appreciated this as I was worried that I was getting a little narrow minded with my musical tastes.
I appreciated also not staying in the pub late as I had a session to lead the day after. For once my sensible head kicked in.

Friday 23rd May

I led a session today which I think got people motivated to talk about their experiences. I was surprised how well the session went and I appreciated this.

I made a new friend today from Germany.  I appreciated that too.

I travelled home and was welcomed by my daughters.  I appreciated their love and love the way they are developing.  I have a part in this and I appreciate this part of myself.

That's it for now!

In Ghent

Hi there and greetings from Ghent, Belgium!

So this is day two of my challenge for appreciating myself and I am going to write three things that I appreciate about myself......

1) On the Eurostar to Brussels I spent my time talking to my co passenger in the seat next to me who was nervous about a job interview they were having tomorrow.  I observed that I always start with  a position of open mindedness about people when I meet them for the first time and I was keen to know more about them and what is important to them.  This is an important skill / interest for when doing coaching.  I really appreciate being like this.

2) I coached one of my London clients today.  I can't disclose the details but it struck me that for us to have the conversation that we had , I am obviously trusted by my client.  I really appreciate this.

3) Tonight I meet my first of two clients in Ghent.  I feel privileged to be here helping them with their business development.  My client sees a value in what I offer.  I really appreciate this.

So that is it for Day 2, more tomorrow!

Tot Ziens!

John

What do I appreciate about myself today?

I appreciate the following;

1) it is days like today when it is beautiful weather,  that I have put myself in such a flexible work position so as to invest time in being with my family when it is needed.
2) I appreciate having gained the right experience to be able to go to Belgium this week to lead sessions in business development. For me this is exciting and makes me feel alive and purposeful.

3) I have chosen to start an online course in learning Dutch.  It is thrilling to be able to travel somewhere and have fun attempting to speak the native language (even if the Dutch speaking people can speak my own language better than me!). Making a decision to start something like this means a lot of effort to sustain. It is a challenge that I hope to be successful in.

More to come tomorrow!