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COACHING WITH

Tammy Barnett

Category: Spiritual Life

Life Struggles Matter

“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly but rarely admit the changes it has to go through to achieve that beauty” – Maya Angelou

It was a sunny spring afternoon. A man walked out into his backyard and found hanging on one of his bushes a large butterfly chrysalis.  There was no sign of life, but he looked forward to checking back the next day in hopes to find something new. Day after day passed and each time the man checked on the chrysalis, he was disappointed to find it remained hanging in stillness.

Then, one day when the man was just about to give up, he noticed some movement and there in the top of the chrysalis was a tiny hole.

Make It A Golden Holiday

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!  It can be!

The other day I had a conversation with a friend who has been experiencing a difficult year with family relationships and unexpected financial burdens.  When the topic of the holidays came up in our conversation, my friend told me she has decided to  forget about enjoying the holiday season this year and will hope for a better one next year.

No doubt this year is different. 2020 has brought many obstacles into all of our lives.  Difficult relationships, medical diagnosis, financial burdens, isolation, cancelled events, and the threat of contracting Covid-19 are just some of the circumstances that have made this year challenging.

And now there are the holiday expectations

Expectations we hold for ourselves to do everything “just right.” Expectations to carry out traditions handed down from our past which creates an image of what our holiday “should” look like.

Hope + Action!

“Hope Without Action Is Just a Wish”

I Hope someday I’ll not feel exhausted all the time. I hope someday I’ll have more time to take care of me.  I hope someday I can stop worrying about my loved one who is making poor choices for their life. I hope someday I’ll have less anxiety. I hope 2021 will be better than 2020. I hope my marriage will be better someday. I hope my relationships with my children will be more functional someday.   Sound familiar?

Webster’s Dictionary defines hope as to cherish a desire with anticipation: to want something to happen or be true. What are some of the hopes you have for your future?

Encouragement Matters!

 “Keep Encouraging. Your words may be the only pillars of strength for someone who is pulling themselves back up to stand again.”

The other day I was listening to a podcast and the topic being discussed was on encouragement.  The guests were exploring what the word encouragement meant to each of them.

One person recalled a time when they were going through a tough situation and a listening friend shared a similar experience they had been through. This conversation brought encouragement to know someone else understood.  Another person spoke about a time when a friend offered to help her with  care giving tasks for an aging parent.  This act of someone else helping allowed her some rest and gave her much needed support. 

What Fills Your Soul?

“When you recover or discover something that nourishes your soul and brings you joy, care enough about yourself to make room for it in your life” – Jean Shinoda Bolen

I sat across the room in a straight back chair facing my doctor.  It had been one of those mornings.  I got off to a late start, was feeling exhausted from a night of restless sleep and my sweet Golden Retriever had died just a few days earlier. Sadness loomed over me.

When I arrived at my doctor’s office late, I was ushered in by the nurse who asked me to step on the scale. Perfect….I  was up several pounds from the previous year. 

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