​During the holidays, and in a previous blog post, I shared my wish list of gifts for you, our society and what may be received through coaching. Continuing the desire to give, I introduce “Gifts of Coaching.” ​

When entering a coaching partnership, one of our initial activities is revisiting, identifying and clarifying values. The work is so important because our decision making and behaviors ideally are filtered through and representative of them, (obviously)! There are numerous ways of exploring what are our values, not what we want them to be, a significant distinction. We can’t say we value honesty but live a life of lies. (slippery…truth is in the "eye of beholder?") We can say we value kindness and demonstrate it genuinely in ALL our words, behaviors and interactions. 

I invite you, in a way that works for you…reassess, investigate, consider…what are your personal core values? Are you able to identify a top 3 – 5? What if you (if you haven’t already), wrote a statement defining how you desire the value shows up for you. Significant, we are individuals with our unique interpretations. I.e.: One of my values is gratitude. My statement, “a deep appreciation for everyone, everything, everywhere.”  In practice, throughout the day, in my overall life and established rituals, I will seek and acknowledge (in thought or written down), what has happened or is possible to be grateful for and or about. For me, living with this value it is amazing the countless moments of gratitude that happen. I.e.: Just a few from this week, there was a chance to feel how blessed me and my kids are to live aligned in our beliefs.  I witnessed joy, conveyed in smiles, body language and demeanor, from one of my newest clients. I experienced, yet again, the willingness of people to connect and pursue a possible mutually beneficial relationship. A tolerable Minnesota winter, my granddaughter’s imagination, a glass of wine cozy by the fireplace and so much more! I envision you get the point (and that I can go on and on about gratitude – it is everywhere!!). 
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Once comfortable personally with your values and created statements...
*Consider noticing how you are living them in your actions, words, choices, work and contributions to cultures (family, work, community).
*Perhaps establish a routine for reading or saying them regularly. 
Wishing you…the Gift of, values​!