Life Theme for 2009

How about a new twist on those good intentions for the New Year? How about intentions that target your overall quality of life? The word ‘intention’ comes from the Latin root word intendere, meaning to stretch toward something. An intention is an aim that guides your actions, intuition and creativity. Unlike a resolution, it is not about fixing something within yourself or your life, it rather leads you towards the person you want to be. Acting with intention keeps you present in the moment and focused on the process. So what might your intentions or your Life Theme for 2009 be? Following are some sample questions that can lead you in the ‘stretching’ area:

- When do I experience joy in my life and how do I express it
- How can I invite greater integrity into my life?
- What do I still need to learn?
- How do I express my values
- What are the conversations I keep avoiding?
- How do I express love?

This is not about ‘to-do’ lists, it is about you and how you want your life to be. If part of it is to quit smoking or lose 10 pounds – so be it. Take some time to ponder these or some other, life purpose oriented questions. Have fun with it and let you Life Theme unfold.

Wishing you a wonderful, intentional New Year!

Your Own Actions

"Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions."
(Dalai Lama)

I like this a lot as a motto for myself. Understanding that I take a big part in my own happiness and acting on it – even if that means to get out of my comfort zone. What a mature way of approaching life!

Wishing you and your family and loved ones
Happy Holidays and a great start in the New Year!

TIME

Writing the description for the group I will offer in the beginning of January (LIFE DESIGN I – Quality of Life, see the SERVICES page on my website), I stumbled over the expression ‘quality of life’ and how I evaluate this for myself. After a few moments the word time popped up in my head and would not leave. I need time for all the things I want to do and that could enhance the quality of my life. No matter where I look, having enough time, being on time, choosing the right time, taking the time, running out of time or getting a time-out seem to be the issue.

Especially this time of the year, people are stressed out, having full calendars and seem to run out of time. The juggling of all kinds of different interests and demands, needs and pulls seems very difficult if not overwhelming. There are several ways of tackling the dilemma. One is to make precise schedules and try to follow them. I also find it very helpful to observe myself for a couple of days and analyze my time management. Then I make an effort to plan breaks in order to give myself a little puffer. Another approach could be to weed out activities that fail the ‘values’ test. Ask yourself: does this contribute to the life I want to lead? Is this really as important as I first evaluated it? Am I just busy or am I effective?Whenever I get frantic and anxious I know, it’s time for me to sit down and reevaluate my schedule, my time balance. There is no way I want to waste TIME. We all get the same number of hours in a day. It’s how we use them that makes a difference.

Our Deepest Fear

I just read this. It's by Marianne Williamson from A Return To Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

About

About my work:

I work with you to:

- articulate your vision of what your Best Life will look like
- refocus on your strengths and talents
- get back in touch with your authentic self, your core beliefs and values
- define your goals and strategies to achieve them
- release obstacles that hold you back
- stay focused so that you do not give up or lose momentum

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About Gestalt:

The word Gestalt in German literally means "shape" or "figure’ and it refers to a concept of wholeness. A Gestalt is a perceived whole. Gestalt psychology and it’s theory is rooted in perceptual psychology, holism and field and systems theory. To ‘gestalt’ your life will translate into "create/shape/form your life".

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WELCOME

I am Angela Hassenpflug, personal development coach and Gestalt worker. I’ve tried my best to anticipate and answer many of the questions you may have about what I am offering to you and who I am.

First, let me ask you some questions:

Are you living your best life?
Or
Is there something not quite right or missing? Do you often feel like you are different? Do you think you should just try harder or you just need to overcome your chronic dissatisfaction?

How about: You can live you best life!

You are the expert – I am your partner in this.

I truly believe that deep in ourselves we know what our best life looks like, that we are experts about ourselves. Work, family and other demands sometimes just seem to let us loose track of our goal to strive towards our true wellbeing. Refocusing on our strengths, recovering our true passions and core beliefs can help us to live our life in integrity.

Are you interested in going on a journey of exploration, discovery and empowerment? Together we will work on filling the gap between the ‘now’ and the best possible ‘then’, setting goals and creating strategies to live a fulfilled and balanced life.

In my work I integrate life/personal coaching tools together with Gestalt Therapy elements. I offer you deep listening, thought provoking questions, explorative exercises, intuitive presence and wholehearted support. We can either meet in person or over the phone, I offer individual and group settings.

Life can be very exciting! Let’s find out about it!

Call 207-592-7888 or email me at angela@gestaltyourlife.com to set up a free introductory call.