3 Ways to Invite More Gratitude to Thanksgiving

• sarahucoach
• November 20, 2012

As you prepare to celebrate this day of Thanksgiving I would like to share 3 Ways to Invite More Gratitude to your day.  Please enjoy and share with your friends, family, co-workers and neighbors.

Speak Gratitude:  Prior to starting your Thanksgiving meal, invite each individual at the table to share who or what they are most grateful for over the past year.

Write Gratitude:  Place a piece of paper or small index card at each place setting and invite each person to write down who or what they are most grateful for this year.  Place the cards in a gift bag and before starting your meal pass the bag around the table and have each person draw out a gratitude card and guess who’s gratitude message is shared.

Grow Gratitude:  Start a Thanksgiving Gratitude journal.  Invite each of your family members & friends to write in the journal who or what they are most grateful for this year.  Keep the journal and continue to add to it each year.

I know that there may be loved ones in your life who you are not able to share the holiday with you this year or you may not be able to be with your loved ones. 

Please know that the practice of gratitude starts from within.  You may start your Thanksgiving day with your own gratitude journal reflecting on what you are most grateful for this year.

What I want is for each of you to have a blessed Thanksgiving. 

Warmly,

Sarah

Extreme Self Care

• sarahucoach
• November 7, 2012

History of Beggars’ Night

• sarahucoach
• October 31, 2012

Another treat I would like to share with you is the History of Beggars’ Night.  As some of you know I grew up in Des Moines, Iowa.  Every October 30th, my sisters and I would get dressed up in our Halloween costumes and go door to door telling jokes (our tricks) to get our treats (candy).

For those of you not from Des Moines, you may be thinking what?  You had to tell jokes?  You didn’t just ring the door bell and say “trick-or-treat”

No, this was very creative.  Each child had to tell a different joke or riddle.  The jokes went something like this.

Why didn’t the skeleton cross the road?
He didn’t have any guts.

Why did Dracula visit the blood bank?
He needed to make a withdrawal.

Growing up I thought that kids all over the country were doing the same thing.  It wasn’t until after I graduated from Iowa State and moved to Chicago that I learned that this is a Des Moines tradition.  My 1st Halloween in Chicago I asked my co-worker what jokes his kids were going to tell and he looked at me like I had 7 eyes.  Jokes?  What are you talking about?  I asked “Don’t your kids have to tell jokes?” and he said no.  I received the same response when I moved to Kansas City.

I did a little research to find out the history of this tradition.  Beggars’ night was created in Des Moines in 1931 by Kathryn Krieg, a director of recreation for the Des Moines Playground Commission.  She noticed that numerous youths were arrested for the pranks they played on Halloween. The flash point came on Halloween in 1938 when Des Moines police answered a record 550 calls concerning vandalism. 

Krieg and another community group began a campaign to encourage less violent forms of Halloween fun.

They set aside Oct. 30 as Beggars’ Night and got the word out to the public that on that night – and only that night – children would be allowed to go door-to-door and say the phrase “tricks for eats.” The council urged that “eats should be given only if such a ‘trick’ as a song, a poem, a stunt or a musical number, either solo or in group participation, is presented.”

For the past 81 years the children of Greater Des Moines have put on their costumes and gone door to door on October 30th telling jokes and riddles.  For the full story click here Des Moines Register

What is your favorite corny joke or knock-knock riddle?

Happy Halloween!!!

Coach Sarah

Dream Big…..Believing is Powerful

• sarahucoach
• October 3, 2012

Over the past week  I’ve experienced 2 amazing stories on the power of Dreaming Big and I would like to share my stories with you.

My first amazing story.  I had the opportunity to meet Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger on Friday.  Rudy became the inspiration for millions when the film depicting his journey as a Notre Dame football player became one of the most influential sports movies ever made.  To meet the man himself and hear him speak about his journey was amazing and I can’t wait to read his book “Rudy, My Story”. I would like to share his key messages:

Be Grateful.  Express Gratitude each day

Don’t listen to the Goofy Thoughts.  Those negative voices in your head that say “I can’t do this” or “I’m not good enough” or “I don’t deserve this”

Believe in Yourself. Change those goofy thoughts into POWER thoughts “Yes, I can” and “Yes, I AM good enough” and “Yes, I DO deserve this”

Surround yourself with people who believe in you too.  Create your own Cheering Section.

Just like in the movie when there were only a few minutes left in the game and they players on the sidelines started chanting “Rudy, Rudy, Rudy” and then the whole stadium started chanting his name and the coach let him in for the final plays of the game.  Notre Dame won the game and Rudy was carried off by his teammates whom he inspired.

What a wonderful story of hard work, dedication, team work and believing YOU CAN DO IT!

            There are 12 weeks left in 2012. 

           What do you REALLY want to accomplish in the next 12 weeks? 

           I want to be YOUR coach, YOUR cheerleader, to help get you across the finish line!

Contact me today at sarahucoach@yahoo.com for the details & to get started.

The second amazing story I would like to share with you is seeing Eric Church in concert at the Sprint Center in Kansas City on Saturday night.

For those of you who do not know of Eric Church, he is a country music singer with current hits “Springsteen” and “Drink in My Hand.”  I first saw him on a CMT extra as an up and coming new artist in 2006.  Shortly after seeing him on CMT I heard he was performing at the Beaumont Club in Kansas City; a small venue.  About 50 people were in attendance that night.  I remember he was so grateful to be there.  Playing the songs he wrote and taking requests from the crowd.

I even had an opportunity to meet him after the concert.

Over the years I followed his career seeing him in concert at smaller venues, playing free shows, performing at the Iowa State Fair, opening for larger acts, but on Saturday to see him as the headliner of his own tour to a sold out arena of 18,000 nearly brought tears to my eyes.

He released his 1st album in 2006 and got his 1st headlining arena tour in 2012.  Three albums and six years later.  He didn’t give up.  He cultivated a devoted fan base without sacrificing musical integrity and self expression.  He built his following slowly but the hard work has finally paid with his 1st ever Grammy nomination and Best Country Album of the Year “Chief”

He like Rudy never gave up on his dream.  Following their passion.  Being grateful, Believing in yourself, Surrounding yourself with good people.  Having those cheerleaders in your life to keep rooting your on to reach your goals.

There are 12 weeks left in 2012.

What do you REALLY want to accomplish in the next 12 weeks? 

I want to be YOUR coach, YOUR cheerleader, to help get you across the finish line!

I have space to add 3 wonderful amazing clients to my coaching practice.  I’d like to fill these spots immediately so I’m offering a juicy incentive for the 1st month of coaching to make this decision easier for you.  Contact me today at sarahucoach@yahoo.com for the details and we can get started.

What I want for you is to Dream BIG and cheer to across the finish line in 2012.

Warmly,

Sarah 

Go for the Gold in Your Life

• sarahucoach
• August 20, 2012

With the Summer Olympics ending in London this week the flame of the Olympic Spirit burns bight though the stories of generosity of sprint.

This sprit exists in the moments when all of the world’s people come together to salute an athlete regardless of his or her nationality. Mostly, it’s when someone shows the power of the human spirit far from any chance at the medal stand. I’d like to share two of my favorite stories from the XXX Summer Games.

Oscar Pistorius, the double-amputee 400-meter runner from South Africa dubbed the “Blade Runner,”  showed up to inspire the world, although he kept reminding that wasn’t why he came.

“I just wanted to do my best,” he said. “I’m a competitor.”

Go as far as you allow yourself to go. The only limits are the ones you create for yourself!

My other favorite story what that of Guor Marial. As a child born in war-torn Sudan, he saw 28 of his family members killed, including eight of his 10 siblings. He was beaten, enslaved and only escaped by running, literally, to his freedom.

Now immigrated to America but not yet a citizen, he competed here in the marathon, only not for Sudan. He refused that. A new nation, South Sudan, has been formed, but it had no Olympic committee. Marial, a 2011 graduate of Iowa State University, was allowed to come under the IOC flag – to compete as a citizen of the world and force the rest of us to remember the mountains some have to overcome just to have a chance.

“The Olympics,” Marial said, “reminds you of a world which has nothing to do with killing each other. It is about a world of living peacefully.”

These are just two stories that captured the human spirit of the games.  There are many many more.

As I reflect back on the summer games I had a thought….The Olympics are really about life lessons of:

Hard work

Dedication

Great Coaching

Friendship

Respect

How will you take these life lessons to GO for the GOLD in your LIFE?

Want to explore further?  Email me at sarahucoach@yahoo.com to schedule a complementary coaching session with me.

Sarah’s Summer Reading

• sarahucoach
• June 27, 2012

The Cheerleader Speaks by Kathleen Kastner

This book is a thirty-year chronicle of Kathleen’s dating blunders and success from the 3rd grade until she miraculously met her husband at the age of 39 in a yoga class.  Her story reveals the lessons she felt God was trying to teach her with each new dating expereicne, the most important one being, Self-Love.

The Cheerleader Speaks will make you laugh and look deeper withing yourself, to help you remember you are worthy of a healthy relationship with the life partner that is yours by divine right – the partner God has will for you.  Now that’s something to cheer about!

This book is a very fun read for everyone regardless if you are still searching for your life partner or if you have already found your sole mate.  Kathleen shares a wonderful insight on dating life and the lessons learned along the way.  Kathleen grew up in Salina, Kansas in the 70’s and 80’s.  Her stories are hilarious and true.  I know this because she is my friend and yoga instructor.  Kathleen truly captures your heart.  I found myself laughing, cheering her on and sharing her heartaches.   She provides hope and inspiration to keep looking until we find a mate who fully loves and supports us and there is such a HAPPY ending.

What is your favorite summertime book?  Share it here 

Clean Sweep 2012

• sarahucoach
• April 17, 2012

Spring is here.  This time of year is a wonderful time to revisit your goals for the year and ask yourself the following questions:

What do I REALLY want to achieve this Spring?

Who will I become once my goals are achieved?

How do I plan to get there?

When I think of the goals in my life I think in 4 key areas:

My Physical Environment

My Self-Care

My Money

My Relationships

Here are some key questions to ask yourself in each area.