"A Penny for Your Thoughts" |
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 "You have no idea what is coming your way!" That was the single phrase that made my bucket overflow. It was March 12th, and I was again consuming more about the Coronavirus. We are in a time where information about the virus is everywhere, and it's hard to avoid. Over time all this consumption became like drops of informational water in my mental bucket. Before March 12th, my bucket absorbed the drops of information relatively well. Still, without realizing it, my bucket was teetering on overflowing. After reading a Facebook story from a woman living in Milan who said in her post, "You have no idea what is coming your way!" my bucket tipped over. A wave of worry, fear, and anxiety came pouring out. I kept picturing a tidal wave of screaming-panicked people coming at me, and I had nowhere to run, hide, or find safety. I started to feel very anxious and worried. I cried because my bucket had overflowed. I needed to get out and get away. I grabbed my snowboarding gear and headed as fast as possible to my car. I sped to the mountain, most of the way, driving 90 miles an hour. Once there, I popped in my earbuds and cranked up the music to help drown out my thoughts. As I rode the chairlift, I finally started to breathe. When I came to the top of the mountain, it was like time had stopped: The sun was shining, the mountains awe-inspiring; snow sparkled in the sun, and I let myself breathe and exhale and just-be-in-the-moment. I rode for an hour non-stop. The tidal wave of panic with each run got smaller until it was just a ripple. Since March 12th, I have had moments where I notice my bucket filling back up, at which time I stop and pour it out, so it doesn't overflow. I pour it out by exercising at home, walking in my neighborhood, doing yard work, coaching clients, turning off the news, and giving extra kisses and snuggles to my dog Penny. I am learning that during this time: I have control. I control what I watch and read and step away when it's too much. When I feel my bucket filling up, I am allowed to turn off the t.v. or social media. I have never been thru this before. None of us have. I am allowing myself to be Certain of the Uncertainty. And that's ok. Karen Tran, CPCC - Seattle Life Coach www.karentrancoaching.com
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 My husband and I bought our home in the summer of 2013. We had moved from a condo in the city where not knowing your neighbor was the norm, and phones helped avoid the awkward elevator chat. We were parents of a one-year-old, and I was a stay-at-home mom, so I began to take daily walks, hoping to meet my neighbors and create a community.
I had envisioned neighbors outside in their yards, kids running around, and a friendly wave and hello as we walked by. None of that happened. I questioned: Did we buy the right home? Did we move to the wrong neighborhood? Where is everyone? I began to get very lonely, sad, and a little depressed. I started to resent my home - my neighborhood - and my situation. It's amazing what a lack of community and loneliness can do to someone. I had all but given up hope when one day, it happened: A family moved in. Soon after, a few more families moved into the neighborhood. Suddenly, my walks were met with a smile and a wave, and eventually a friendly chat. Today my neighborhood is what I always dreamed it would be: a Connected Community of Friends who also Happen to be Neighbors. If you're feeling a loss of connection and community - Put down your phone and take a chance. Smile at someone Wave at someone Take a moment for a chat Be the connection that someone needs "When one person connects to another, a community is created." Karen Tran, CPCC - Seattle Life Coach www.karentrancoaching.com  "Never turn down the volume of who you are for anyone. When the world attempts to shush you, shame you, silence you or tells you to act normal, please don't." - Marie Forleo.
Years ago, a friend told me, "You are too happy. It's hard to be around you sometimes because you are too happy." At that moment, I sank. Suddenly, being me was wrong. I remember thinking, "Maybe she is right. I should turn down the volume on my happiness." So I tried for a while to be less happy. Try being the word. But it just wasn't me. You see, I am an extrovert. I get energy from others, and that energy makes me happy. Trying to turn down my volume was denying who I was. I was trying to be less of myself, to make others feel comfortable. I may not be a genius in math, but even I know that formula doesn't add up. What does work: Being your whole self. We all get happy. We all get sad. But if you are feeling happy - don't turn it down. Share your happiness. Lowering your joy is not how you bring someone else's up. #toohappy #beyou #dontadjustyourvolume Karen Tran, CPCC - Seattle Life Coach www.karentrancoaching.com  Are you someone who dreads Monday? Change how you feel and perceive the start of the week with a word swap. Try this simple play on words and pull your Monday mindset out of the dirt.
Instead of saying, “I have to go to work tomorrow,” change the have to GET. “I get to go to work tomorrow.” Feel slightly different? What do you think changed? Even just a 1% improved perception can impact how you look at your life. Karen Tran, CPCC - Seattle Life Coach www.karentrancoaching.com #changehavetointogetto #gratitude If I wasn't the one in the photo, I would have never believed it was me.  I was away on a girl's weekend a few years back, and we decided we wanted to try something different. Stand-Up Paddle Board Yoga won the vote. It was my first time on a stand-up paddle board, so it made sense to try Yoga [insert sarcasm]. My yoga experience is between knowing several poses and spending half the class looking around the room to see what I should be doing.
Before getting on the board, I thought to myself:
Can you guess what happened? I fell off my SUP and into the water—a LOT. I fell off the most out of my two friends. Was I embarrassed? No. Did I have fun? Heck yeah. Was I proud of myself for "trying" something new? You bet your warrior pose ass! The best thing that came out of SUP Yoga was pride. Where in your life do you find yourself avoiding something for fear of failure? Fear of looking silly? Fear of not being perfect at something right away? WHAT IF you just tried? When you try, you end up DOING no matter what the doing looks like or how it ends up. That day on the lake, I fell a lot, but I kept going because the going allowed me to get better. Every time I see this photo, I feel pride: I gained a new experience and had fun with friends. Life can indeed be that simple if we let it be. Karen Tran, CPCC - Seattle Life Coach www.karentrancoaching.com #bowpose #SUPyoga #whatif #justtry #whatsthebestthatcanhappen #goforit |
AuthorKaren Tran is a Seattle girl; born and raised in the state where Starbucks began. She is a Certified Life Coach who loves to cook, drink black coffee, enjoy wine with friends, and eat great food. When she is not coaching you can find her spending time with her family-friends and walking her dog Penny. Karen has always felt a pull to help others live their happiest life. She sees in others what they may have trouble seeing in themselves. Archives
March 2020
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