Category: Blessings

Blessings, Brave Soul, Self-Care

Want more joy in your life? This is for you.

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One day as I was walking through the woods, listening to the birds chirping from the trees and watching my cute little dog Dino run along the forest trail, happily sniffing everything in sight…

I decided I wanted to have a summer of JOY.

If you’re not familiar with Susan Hyatt, this thought was based on her Summer of Yes. If you’d like, you can learn more about her work here.

It’s all about making your summer memorable, and saying yes to the things that light you up, or in my case, with the inspiration of the lovely Marie Kondo, spark joy.

I’ve wanted to have a Joy Diet Book Club FOREVER. It’s based on one of my favorite books by Martha Beck, The Joy Diet.

And so I’ve decided — it’s time.

It’s time to say yes to the power of joy, and summer, and beautiful forward momentum in a way that is nourishing and provides a sense of community and belonging. A summer that Sparks JOY.

Because I believe that as we follow our joy, we’re led to the ways we can make the biggest difference — and have the greatest impact in the world.

Our joy matters. Just as our stories, our mission, our experiences, and even our pain do.

Joy can be a tricky one to claim. It can often feel elusive and is one of the most vulnerable emotions, as noted by Brene Brown.

So why not do it together? And follow the steps, practices, and insights that Martha lays out in her book, The Joy Diet. Here are the chapters, or as she calls them, ingredients:

#1: NOTHING

#2: TRUTH

#3: DESIRE

#4: CREATIVITY

#5: RISK

#6: TREATS

#7: PLAY

#8: LAUGHTER

#9: CONNECTION

#10: FEASTING

Here’s how the Book Club works.

When you sign up, you’ll get:

  • Access to a private Facebook Community to connect with other Book Club goers 🙂
  • A series of 10 Live weekly group Book Club Calls on Wednesdays @ 10 am, starting on July 24th
  • And, practices and journal prompts to accompany each of the 10 chapters in the book.

As a bonus, you can also select an option that includes an individual coaching session with me, or a package that includes three sessions, all in addition to the book club itself.

I once heard a spiritual teacher ask the following question:

If all was well and wonderful in the world, and no one needed a single thing from you…what would you do? How would you spend your time? What feeling state would you bless the world with?

THAT is your mission. That is your purpose and part of why you’re here.

I’d love to know your answer!

Mine was Joy. My immediate answer was, “dancing around singing” like I did when I was a little girl.

So if you’d like to carve out some space for yourself this summer to invite more joy into your life, then I whole-heartedly and joyfully invite you to join us.

You can sign up via the links below, or click here for more information about the book itself and a more in depth description of each of the chapters, or “ingredients” in the Joy Diet.

Joy Diet Book Club
 
Joy Diet Book Club + 1 Coaching Session
 
Joy Diet Book Club + 3 Coaching Sessions


Questions? Email me at coachingwithcaitlin@gmail.com and I’d be happy to talk with you and sort out whatever you need.


Much love, and many blessings always,

With infinite grace & compassion,

And with much joy,

Caitlin

P.S. I was recently selected as one of 25 people to receive a partial scholarship to an online business school because they loved my vision and mission for my writing & coaching program! If you’d like to support the mission but aren’t available or interested in participating in the Book Club right now, you can still donate to the cause here. (Just make sure it’s set to “friends and family” since it would be considered a gift.) Even $5 makes a difference!

Thank you so much!

And here’s a cute picture of Dino for good measure. 🙂

Beauty, Blessings

When Giving Something Away Makes Your Heart Sparkle

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There’s a way that love sparkles. The way that the light feels when it hits your face with the glorious glow of sunshine, or even in the moment you notice a sparkle in your very own eye.

One of the things I’ve found that creates this luminosity and sparkle in my own life, and presence, and heart… is clearing space for new things in my life.

That letting go of things we no longer need can bring clarity, insight, freedom…and even, JOY!

This is the story I share in the post below about a time I cleared some clutter, only to find some tremendous and unexpected joys and surprises!

I hope you enjoy!

It’s called: Why Giving Things Away is The Absolute BEST!

Originally published Oct. 12, 2015

I stood in front of the bathroom mirror. As I stared at my reflection, wearing the red Chiefs sweatshirt, I noticed some things. I didn’t like the way it looked. I didn’t like the way it felt. And I didn’t like the way I felt wearing it.

It was uncomfortable. I felt droopy and kind of weighed down. All of this could only mean one thing: the time had come to let it go.

I took a few minutes to remember how much fun my brother and I had together that crisp and sunny October weekend five years ago. It was the first trip I’d made back to the Midwest on my own, and I flew into town for a quick visit and a Chiefs game. Naturally, this meant stopping at the store to buy some Chiefs gear on the way.

But now, holding the sweatshirt my hand, my mind carefully clicked through the following:

  1. I wasn’t going to wear this thing again.
  2. Giving it away would not erase any of my cherished memories that were created while wearing it.
  3. It would be awesome if someone else could have the opportunity to wear and enjoy it.

And just like that, the years of keeping it stored it the back of my closet, thinking I would or should wear it again, finally came to an end as I added it to a bag of items destined for Goodwill. Then I went about my day, happily imagining a Chiefs fan unexpectedly stumbling across it in Portland, thrilled to have something new to wear on game days this season.

A few days later, my mom came over to load everything up. She took the first couple bags down to the car and came back WEARING the sweatshirt! And it looked fantastic on her!

I experienced FAR more joy in those first five minutes of seeing her wear the sweatshirt than I did in the entire 5 years it had been in my possession. All of the things that made it less than ideal for me — the orangey shade of red and the way the collar pops up in the back — are the exact things that make it perfect for her! Needless to say, I had no idea that the Chiefs fan to find treasure in my old sweatshirt would turn out to be my very own mom! I was, and still am, thrilled!

Maybe you have something similar in your possession — something small, something you hardly think about, but something that if you were to take a second to consider it, you’d realize there’s some memory, emotion, or “should” attached to it. I’d love to hear your stories in the comments below and I can’t wait to hear if you experience the same sweet taste of freedom that I did.

Because this simple sweatshirt didn’t take up much room. I didn’t think of it all that often. And yet, it was sucking energy and joy from my life without me even knowing it. I only realize this now because of the feelings of lightness and freedom I felt once I’d let go. It became a release of guilt that I didn’t even know I was carrying around — for not having worn it enough, for not having gotten my money’s worth, etc.

So it turns out, I let go of something more than just a sweatshirt. And I was rewarded tenfold, receiving something SO much better in return.

Big surprise, little things are powerful. This definitely shouldn’t be a surprise at this point, but somehow I find myself in awe of that simple truth EVERY time it pops up.

Simple yet profound. Small but mighty. It never gets old.

Wishing you freedom and JOY, 
And some awe for good measure,

Caitlin

Blessings, Brave Soul, Grief & Loss

Would You Like to Be Part of the Launch Team for My New Book?

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Here’s the scoop:

You get a free copy of the book before anyone else, and you get to connect with me, and the rest of the group, leading up to launch week — and even after, if you’d like!

And you commit to read the book (or play with a few of the prompts that speak to you), leave a review on Amazon, and help to share and spread the word during launch week —

which could look like anything from calling and telling a friend, posting on social media, or writing an email to your audience. The sky is the limit and the “how” is completely up to you!

It’s a chance to gather and celebrate and share the book with anyone you think might enjoy it, or benefit from a tender loving presence and safe place to write during their experience of grief. ❤ And, of course, get a free copy for yourself! 🙂

If you’d like to learn more about joining us, you can let me know here.

Blessings, Grief & Loss

A blessing for you. {And my new grief journal}

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This week I want to share with you a blessing I wrote for my forthcoming grief journal, By the Light of the Moon.

Although now I’m returning back to former ideas and playing with new titles alike.

You’ll be the first to know when I get close to a final decision and I’m ready for your input to make a final selection!

One of the most important things to me is to make this journal BEAUTIFUL.

I can still remember standing in the bookstore aisle with all of the books on grief. And most of them had one or two things in common.

1) They were…UGLY. Drab. Brown. Boring — Ugly.
2) They had the word GRIEF written on them in huge sprawling letters, practically acting as a flashing neon sign, like an arrow pointing to the person holding the book exclaiming, “Hey! This girl is experiencing grief!!”

Not exactly something you want to be seen with at a coffee shop when you’re in your twenties and just lost your dad.

Or at any age, I would imagine.

So I want this journal to be beautiful for you. And that is exactly what I plan to create. 🙂

If you’ve experienced loss, and have any thoughts on something that you feel would have really helped YOU, or anything you feel would help you in your current experience, I’d love for you to hit reply and let me know.

I’d love to hear about any insights you may have — and perhaps they even match up with some of my own that I still plan to share with you.

Either way, it is always a blessing to hear from you.

Your kind words mean so much, and you are truly a blessing in this world.

So without further ado…

May you be blessed~

May you be blessed with peace —
Even if that’s not what you feel like you want,
Or even need.

May you be blessed with grace —
To see the light of love shining through.

May you be blessed with courage —
The kind you show in every moment,
Just taking another step, and inhaling another breath,
Again and again and again.

May you be blessed with beauty —
The shared and treasured memories
That help to light your way,
The insights and ideas
That guide your self-care each day.

May you be blessed with gentleness —
To watch over yourself with care.
The way you’d love a sweet little bird
Or a toddler with messy hair.

And most of all…

May you be blessed with love —
The glue that holds everything together.
The twinkle lights that glow in the darkness.
The radiance of your very own heart.

May you be blessed with knowing how worthy
You are
And may you sing you own unique song,
Every day, your whole life through.
Knowing there is always someone
Who’s watching over you.

New! Coaching For Gentle Souls… Learn more here.