Not many of us can honestly say that we're good with waiting. Waiting is often difficult, uncomfortable - and just plain HARD. We're all waiting for something… And right now, some of us are aching. Lamenting in waiting.

And suddenly, we’re into December - and Advent. There’s something about this season, that stirs wonder; whether in the midst of peace - or chaos. If only we dare, to give ourselves a moment, to notice the view.

If the Black Friday weekend has left you feeling like your soul was being suffocated by all the grabbing - and the ‘getting’, today there's some room for your soul to breathe. Today is about giving.

In the week Thanksgiving sits next to the biggest shopping event of the year; it’s particularly noticeable that many of us have a complicated relationship with gratitude.

Over the last week, many of us have been reminded of the importance of remembering. How can we remember things we don't want to forget?

The recent post on Margin, has sparked some interesting conversations online - around what 'margin' looks like, in practice. It's been great to discuss some ideas, with people who are exploring what might work for them. Today, I wanted to follow up the original post - and share one simple idea.

Do you want to live and lead with more courage - and be better equipped, to have difficult, but important conversations?

If you book up your diary 1-2 months ahead, December may be filling up quickly. If you’ve not already done so, now’s a great time to block in enough ‘margin’, to help you live well - and serve others better, through the festive season.

Lately, I've had several conversations, in which we've started somewhere else - and later found ourselves talking about issues around wellbeing. Everything is connected.

Life is a stream of information. We’re constantly bombarded with more data than we can process. We filter most of it out - and give weight to a small percentage of what we sense and see. We only see in part - and from a particular place. How we ‘frame’ things matters.

Stories have superpowers. The stories we tell ourselves, can have a profound impact on us: On what we believe - and sense. On how we think - and feel. And, on what we say - and do.

Change changes things. And it changes us. With or without our permission. Sometimes we get to plan and prepare, for weeks or months in advance. At other times, change comes suddenly, without warning. Sometimes, there's no time for planning or preparation. At all.

Noticing things matters. It gives us an opportunity to think about what we need to think about; say what we need to say; prepare to take action, where that is what's required - or simply to 'know’ things - and hold them.

When it comes to what we think about, say and do, what might happen, if we found a way to keep things simple - and focus on #JustOneThing? 

Setbacks are a normal part of life. How we handle them matters. Learning to deal with difficult things well, can make all the difference in the world. So how can we do that?

What is it about the whole 'Back to School' vibe that lights so many of us up - even it's years (decades, even!) since we left full time education? And, is there a way we can we turn this to our advantage?

I hope you've had a good summer, whatever you've been up to, over the last few weeks. As we head towards the beginning of a new academic year, I'll be returning to blogging weekly - starting next week. In the meantime, I just wanted pop in to share some of the things I'm learning this summer.

What makes a week - ‘a good week’? And how do you know if you’ve had one?
Want to have #moregoodweeks? Sign up for the FREE 5 day mini-course from Away Coaching.

Are you a Rebel? Someone who loves their own freedom - and often struggles with meeting their own expectations of themselves - as well as resisting meeting the demands and expectations of others? Maybe you have a Rebel in your family - or lead or manage one at work. How can we work with Rebels freely and lightly - to enable them to bring their (often considerable) gifts to the world, in greater service of God, others - and themselves.

Making progress can be hard. 

Whether we're looking to do things differently, or do different things; we know it's not enough, to simply make a decision - and create a plan. 

Once we've decided what we're going to do next, we need to take action - and follow through. 

But, the question is: 

Will we?