Happy New Year!

New Year's Day is the time when many people choose to make RESOLUTIONS. We prefer to look at them as New Year's Goals!

By putting a positive spin on our desire to make life changes or improvements, we take the first step toward reaching our goals.

Think about something that you have always wanted to do. What has been stopping you? How would you feel about making a priority in 2008 to finally tackle one thing on your list that has been holding you back?

To find out how you can make - and keep - your goals for the New Year, join us for our 2 part teleclass on January 15th and January 22nd. For additional information, email us at info@yournewworldcoaching.com.

Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing you a day of peace and gratitude. Take a moment to stop and think of something to give thanks for, no matter how simple it may seem.



Relax and enjoy!

Managing Holiday Stress

IF YOU'RE HAVING THE FAMILY

OK, Thanksgiving is right around the corner-it is a bit early this year. You haven't even figured out whether to stay home or go out, or even who will be joining you. Your daughter got married last year and her in-laws expect them for dinner. The tug-o-war begins.

One year, I decided to forgo the customary holiday pies for dessert in favor of apple tart tatin and pumpkin creme brulee. Oh my, you would have thought I had commited a felony for deviating from the standard Thanksgiving fare.


Silly me. Yet, every year, I go in search of something different to add to my holiday repetoire, just to mix it up a bit. At least I'm not boring!


If you're having the family over, here are some simple ways to relax and enjoy the holiday-a way to be a guest at your own party:


First, ORGANIZE! Make a list of everything that needs to be done. Keep the list handy so you can alter it as needed.


Then, PRIORITIZE! Figure out the Must Do's and tackle them first. Then consider the Want To Do's, see how much time and energy you have and decide how to proceed.


Finally, DELEGATE! Ask someone else to pick up the items on your grocery list. Or consider having a service come in to clean your home. Ask guests to supply the dessert or the wine. Don't be afraid to ask for help.


The following websites are personal favorites of ours, and we want to share them with you:

rachaelray.com - for simple holiday recipes and organizational tips.

flylady.net - helps you to organize your life and simplify!

hgtv.com - for decorating ideas.

realsimple.com - for helpful holiday hints.

allrecipes.com - real recipes submitted and reviewed by real people.

We hope you will find useful tips and information to help you to be a guest at your own party!

IF YOU'RE ALONE

Some of us live away from our family and may be alone or with only one or two people. Maybe it's the first year you're alone or maybe it's the tenth. It doesn't matter. The holidays for some are times of stress. We think we're supposed to be happy, but we're not. We think we're supposed to embrace the holidays, but maybe fear is standing in the way.

The first few years after my husband passed away when it was just my son and I, we traveled. I always made sure we were away. That way I didn't have to worry about what we were going to do. That worked for the Christmas vacation through high school but somewhere in middle school we stopped going away for Thanksgiving. I knew that I didn't want a dinner with just him and me nor did I want a traditional restaurant. It was just too hard. The first time we were home, we went to a Japanese Hibachi restaurant and not the one we always went to. We went about 45 minutes from home, so that it would be different. In later years I had a divorced friend and her son over and then we started going to a friend's house.

Here are some suggestions for things to do if you're alone:

INVITE all the people you know who are alone and follow Mary's suggestions to have a stress free holiday.

TELL A FRIEND that you're going to be alone. Your friends are your friends and they want to be there for you. My biggest mistake through my husband's illness and after was never asking for help. I've learned people want to help.

GO TO A RESTAURANT. Find one other person who is alone, or your child, or your parent and make a reservation at a restaurant where you never get to go. Make it special.
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ASK AT YOUR HOUSE OF WORSHIP. Many churches and temples have dinners on Thanksgiving and other holidays. Many also know of people who welcome someone who is alone. Don't be embarrassed, do it. You never know you could meet your best new friends that night.

VOLUNTEER. If you're not ready for a celebration, volunteer. There are so many places that can use your help to serve meals to those who are less fortunate than we are.

The most important thing I can say is don't sit home alone. Embrace the holiday in as simple a way as you can and remember that your loved one wants you to be happy. This can be the first day of the rest of your life.

Having trouble -- call Mary or Fran or use the coupon on our November 1st newsletter.

****Our Newest Book Choice-The Alchemist****

For our next book review and discussion, we have chosen The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho. Check out our link to Amazon.com to purchase this latest selection.

Empty Nester Syndrome

My son is a senior now, but it seems like only yesterday that I was taking him down to college, helping him set up his dorm room and then on Saturday, a day before I had planned, saying goodbye. As I mentioned in Musings, for someone who has lost a spouse this was another time that the other parent missed a momentous occassion. For us it was the missed bar mitzvah, missed high school graduation and now missed going off to college.

We kept it short, I shed a tear and then drove the 4 hours home talking to friends all the way. Once I was home, it was empty. Even though for the prior year, since he got his license, I hardly saw him, it was different now. How did I cope? I thought pretty well until I looked back a year later. I coped by never being home. I scheduled myself to be busy every day and most nights. Even though during his senior year we had dinner maybe twice a week, that was by choice. The curfew so that I knew he was safe - gone. My only salvation was that I knew he wasn't driving.

I had a friend who said that she went into her son's room every day and cried and that she hadn't moved anything in his room, even to close books that were out. I thought she was being extreme but maybe she was being more honest with herself than I was saying i'm ok.

What would I have done differently? Most importantly, I would have acknowledged to myself that it might be hard, that I would miss him. Instead of being strong and saying I'm fine, because no one else believed me.

I think the other most important things would have been to use the tools that I've learned since then -- journaling, meditation and coaching. If you're having trouble getting into your back to school routine or handling the empty nest, call or email us and let us help you renew your path to your vision.

***Book Discussion Group Update***

Our Book Discussion Group, originally scheduled for Tuesday, September 5th has been postponed until the following Tuesday, September 11th. The discussion times of 10AM and 7:30PM will remain the same. We are sorry for the inconvenience. Please email us or reply on the blog if you plan to participate. We look forward to hearing from you!

Making Use Of The Tools

Mary's Experience:

Last week, I went in for a diagnostic procedure to determine the nature of an irregularity on my recent stress test. As they were predaring me for the Cardiac Catheterization, I sat quietly listening to "I Am Healed Now" which I purchased through our link to Think Right Now.

With eyes closed, paid close attention to my breathing...Inhale deeply through my nose - hold briefly - exhale fully through my mouth. I listened to the affirmations, listened to my breathing and I began to relax. When they came to wheel me into the cath lab, I calmly kissed my husband and off I went.

I felt good. The nervousness I had been feeling had been replaced by a sense of confidence and calm. I was ready.

Afterward, as I spent my manditory 2 hours recovering before I could walk again, I began the process all over again. I needed to focus on healing and waiting. Now, waiting for me is like torture, and I knew that I needed to remain relaxed and calm as I waited for the doctor to come in with the results.

When she arrived at my bedside and delivered the news that I had a blockage that needed attention, I was able to ask the questions and make the decisions about my options.

As I sat at home, following doctor's orders, recovering from the procedure and planning for the upcoming angioplasty to open the blockage and implant a stent, I continued to listen to "I Am Healed Now", to meditate and to journal about the upcoming events.

At Your New World Coaching, we really do practice what we preach. We really use the tools that we offer, we read the books that we discuss. We do it because it really does help to create a full and balanced life.

Just like you, we have challenges. How do we handle them? We work with our coaches. Honestly, we do.

If you have any questions about any of the products that we have linked to on our website, our blog or in our newsletter, please email us or post your comments on the blog and we will be happy to discuss them.

***Spiritual Book Club Announcement***

Fran & Mary are pleased to announce that we will be holding our first Live Teleconference call to discuss the newest Book Club Selection, "The Next Thing On My List", by Jill Smolinski.

The live book club discussion will be held on Wednesday, September 5th. Some of you who have expressed an interest in joining us are available during the day and some of you are available at night. We're planning to hold two sessions, one at 10 a.m. and one at 7:30 p.m. Email us to sign up for either session and we'll send you the teleconference instructions.

We've even made it easy for you to get your copy of the book by clicking on the Amazon.com link provided. "The Next Thing On My List" is about a woman who decides to complete the wish list of someone who has died. We're sure you'll love and be inspired by the book, which we will also review in our September 1st issue of Visions.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Meditation

Our current newsletter begins a series on Meditation. While I would like to be able to tell you that I meditate on a daily basis, that would be a real exaggeration. Sometimes I need to look outside myself for motivation, and I came across this DailyOM on the subject.

I have made a concerted effort to incorporate meditation into my daily routine, and I have been moderately successful. I have kept this article in my list of "favorites" to refer to when I need a metaphysical kick in the behind.

I hope that sharing this with you will help you on your journey.


Before The World Wakes Morning Meditation

Just before the coming of the pale rays of dawn, Mother Nature exists in a state of flux. Earth's energy is stable, free of the disordered vibrations that are a by-product of humanity's comings and goings. In these first moments of day, when the sun's golden light is only just peeking over the horizon, our animal mind remains in the land of slumber though we ourselves are awake. Deep sleep has washed away the impurities of existence that accumulated within us, so our mental, physical, and emotional potential is heightened. To meditate in this peaceful yet energetically charged in-between time is to connect with the divine in an extremely intimate fashion. We discover a new kinship with the universal life force during morning meditations because our awareness becomes a mirror for earthly consciousness—we wake as the world wakes, quietly embracing the joy of being and setting the tone for a serene, fulfilling day. In the first glorious glow of morning, the light, air, and energy flowing around us speak in hushed tones of the activity to come. While we recognize that another day of being means becoming once again immersed in the challenges of action and reaction, we also understand that we can draw upon the unique energetic qualities of daybreak for comfort, creativity, and vigor. There is bliss in the simple knowledge that we have been given the gift of another day of existence. We are inspired by sights and sounds of the sun's gentle ascension. Birds serenade the luminosity, which grows richer by the minute. And though we may feel a residual lethargy, our vitality returns as our meditation helps us to become one with the stirring of other beings rubbing the sleep from their eyes. At the start of each day, our destiny has not yet been written, and so there is nothing we cannot do. How we choose to meditate is less important than our choice to attune ourselves to the spirit of wakefulness that travels round the world each and every day. Even the briefest moment of quiet contemplation in the muted light of the sun can put all that is yet to come into perspective. As a consequence of our daybreak reflections, our lives are imbued with the same stability, tranquility, and increased awareness that humanity has long associated with the stillness of early morning.

The Power Of Intention

In the July 15th issue of "Visions", we reviewed the book The Power Of Intention by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer. To continue that review, Mary and Fran will give you their feelings as they read the book.

Mary: I have to say that I had difficulty wading through the first chapter. I found it to be slow moving and just plain boring. Yet, I persisted, and by the middle of chapter 2, I was hooked.

As I progressed through the book, I found that there was a lot of good information, but it really got bogged down in the second half. If you are looking for an easy read, this isn't it. As with anything, I pick what works for me and disregard the rest.

Admittedly, if I had not been assigned this book by our spiritual book club, I would have put it aside and started reading the Nora Ephron book, I Feel Bad About My Neck. But I did persist and I'm glad I did. What I've gotten from it is that when we allow our ego to get in the way of our happiness we fail to learn the lesson that it's better to be happy than to be right.

I really prefer to have it both ways, so I guess I'll just keep working on it.

Fran: I think that the word difficulty is putting too mildly. In the prologue, Dr. Dyer suggests reading the last chapter before starting the book so that you can see what a person with intent looks like. I did. And then I read the first chapter and found it not only slow but cumbersome as well. Because I'm in the same spiritual book club as Mary, I too persisted. Somewhere in the middle of Chapter 2, I began to relate with the book. One of the things that I liked was that at the end of each chapter in Part I, Dr. Dyer gives you suggestions for implementing the ideas in that chapter. I think that these do help you to find your own intention.

I've only gotten through Chapter 4, but I will keep going. As I have been reading, there are many good points in the book BUT to me, it's just not worth the "drag" of reading it. There are so many other books that offer similar premises but are more readable, and we'll review those in the future. Since I'm going to continue reading check back to see if either of us has changed our opinions. I'll post when I finish.

If you've read the book, or are going to read the book, please add your comments to the blog. We are also forming a spiritual book club where we will discuss this and other books on a free teleconference call. Please email us if you are interested and we will let you know what the next book will be.

Spiritual Book Review - for one more day

In his book for one more day, Mitch Albom chronicles a compelling story about a man named Charley Benetto. Charley is divorced from his wife, estranged from his daughter and crumbled by alcohol and regret. He decides to take his own life and make a last trip back to his hometown to do it. As he reaches the town, he has an car accident and encounters his mother who died eight years earlier.

The book alternates between Charley's youth and the present day with his mother. It is the day so many of us wish for -- the chance to spend one day with someone we've lost -- the chance to learn about things we wished we knew, to say the things we never said. His mother says to him "Have you ever dreamt of someone who's gone, Charley, but in the dream you have a new conversation?" The day Charley spends with his mother gives him an insight he never had and a chance to decide whether to live or die.

An amazing book that left me in tears was both tragic and uplifting. I highly recommend it.

OUR SECOND INTERVIEW AND TELECLASS

Well, we just sent out our second newsletter and if you read it you know that this weeks interviewee is Mary Caprio. We're starting our interview series with the founders of Your New World Coaching so that you know our stories and may better understand why we felt compelled to start Visions and Your New World Coaching.

As before, we will be continuing the interview on June 12, 2007 at 7:00 PM EDT. The call-in number is 1-641-297-5800 and the code is 071206#.

YNWC: Mary, I know you're a widow and that you've remarried. When did your husband pass away?

Mary: October 26, 2000.

YNWC: Was it sudden or a long illness?

Mary: He'd been sick for 2 1/2 years and for two of those he required home care which I provided.

YNWC: Were you working at the time?

Mary: I was working and had to leave my job to take care of him.

YNWC: How did you feel about that?

Mary: Part of me was glad that I was able to do it and part of me was scared of the financial impact on my family and part of me was resentful that the life we had started to build had to come to an end.

YNWC: When did you first realize that he wasn't going to make it?

Mary: On May 29, 1998 the day that he was diagnosed.

YNWC: What was your feeling?

Mary: I lost my brother to leukemia a year and a half before and Doug's cancer was non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and I knew the success rate was not good.

YNWC: When Doug died, did you think you would remarry?

Mary: No, never. Doug and I talked about it and he said I should remarry that I was good at it and it would be a shame for me not to. I said no, never!

YNWC: What changed?

Mary: I was tired of going to the movies alone. I was roaming around the house at 3 AM with nothing to do so I was on the Internet a lot. This was before pop-up blockers so Match.com kept popping up and I thought I would find someone to go to the movies and out to dinner with.

To hear the rest of Mary's story and more importantly how she has become the person she now is, listen to our Teleclass on Tuesday, June 12th at 7 PM EDT. The call in number is 1-641-297-5800 and the code is 071206#.

Never been on a teleclass, email us if you need more directions.

Free Live Interview- Tuesday, May 22, 2007

If you are reading this blog, you have no doubt received our premier issue of Your New World Coaching's newsletter, "Visions".

On Tuesday, May 22nd at 7:00 PM (EDT) Mary Caprio, co-founder of Your New World Coaching will be conducting a live interview with the co-founder, Fran Elster, a widow who shares her story about raising a young child on her own.

You can listen to our interview live by calling (218) 339-7800 and entering the PIN 52207#.

The call will last about 60 minutes, including a Question & Answer period.

We hope you'll join us.

Here is a preview of Fran's story:

YNYC: I know your husband was sick for several years before he passed away. How did you feel when it became apparent that he wasn't going to make it?

Fran: From the day he was diagnosed, we knew that it was a life sentence. The question was how long would we have. But at the same time, I was in total denial and never really believed it.

YNWC: When did it first really hit you?

Fran: My husband was home on hospice for 4-5 months. The doctor stopped by to see him. My son asked what the doctor said, and I realized that he didn't understand. I had to explain it to my child that his dad was not going to be like this forever, that he would get worse and that his father would die.

YNWC: Some people say that it is easier when you know what's coming because you begin your grieving process while the person is still alive. Was that true in your case?

Fran: It's not easier, it's different. By the time they do pass away, you feel as if you have been grieving for what seems like forever. And yet you still have them with you.

YNWC: Was there a defining moment that started you on the path to rebuilding your life?

Fran: Yes-on December 14, 2003.....

To hear the rest of Fran's story, please tune in for our Live Interview on May 22nd at 7 PM. She will tell her story and answer your questions.