Final Post, New Site Announcement

Over the past few years, this blog has been a been an outlet for me as well as a way for me to personally grow and learn. The blog started out as a hobby and has slowly grown into something more. 

So, it is bitter sweet for me to announce that this will be my final post to Continual Care. I still have a the same goal in helping my friends and family find ways to take care of themselves each and every day so that they can have successful and fulfilling lives. 

In an effort to do this, we are excited to announce our new website Rachael West Life Coaching. We hope you will visit it and find within it a source of inspiration along with tips and tools to help create a life of happiness and where all your dreams come true. 

We invite you to also "LIKE" our new Rachael West Coaching Facebook Page to keep you updated on all our new postings, upcoming events, and ways you can nominate yourself or someone else to win 3 free coaching sessions. Don't worry if you don't live in our local area, while coaching is better in person, it can be done via SKYPE. 

We still welcome all your comments, stories, and emails. Please email them to:      Rachael@RachaelWestCoaching.com or ContinualCare@gmail.com 

Marriage is like...

The content on this post has moved to our new site. Please visit us Rachael West Coaching for more information regarding Divorce Prevention.  

Something to Dream About

 

                     What do you DREAM about?

Do you dream of what it would be like to bask in the sun while watching the waves roll in? Do you prefer action-packed thrills on the best roller coasters in the world? Or do you prefer a quiet intimate evening in front of a roaring cabin fire in the mountains?

 Do you dream of financial peace of mind, dreaming of the time when you don't have to check your bank balance every single day? Do you dream of owning your own business? Or getting a promotion and raise at the company you are with?

Do you dream of skinnier jeans and a bathing suit ready body? And a body full of energy and passion?

Do you dream of happy, successful, and healthy lives for your children?  
                         What is YOUR DREAM?

 Life Coaches do not have magic wands we can wave and grant you your perfect dream life, but what we do have are the TOOL to help YOU get the DREAM you are in search for. Often times life coaches have tools that will place you one step closer to your dream TODAY. We would love to hear about what you dream of and your goals on accomplishing those dreams.

Note to Self

Life is NOT fair

Source: youtube.com via Rachael on Pinterest

If you are having one of those crummy, lousy, life is not fair kind of day, please click on the picture above. It will link you to a video via Pinterest. 

 What do you do to endure those days? How do you deal with the unfairness in your life? 

Please email your thoughts and comments to continualcare@gmail.com

The Small Things Matter

The Power of Moms  has posted another amazing article on their blog. Please visit their site to view the entire article and get a review of the book the passage below comes from). If you are feeling like you are doing a daily job, a job where you put all your heart, energy, strength, and soul into the task, and yet feel like no one notices, and no one cares, you definitely must read this article! 


(The Power of Moms is a FANTASTIC blog with countless ideas on how to find that strength and energy to get through the day. If you need a pick me up, definitely stop by their blog!!)

It started to happen gradually …

One day I was walking my son Jake to school. I was holding his hand and we were about to cross the street when the crossing guard said to him, “Who is that with you, young fella?”

“Nobody,” he shrugged.

Nobody? The crossing guard and I laughed. My son is only 5, but as we crossed the street I thought, “Oh my goodness, nobody?”

I would walk into a room and no one would notice. I would say something to my family – like “Turn the TV down, please” – and nothing would happen. Nobody would get up, or even make a move for the remote. I would stand there for a minute, and then I would say again, a little louder, “Would someone turn the TV down?” Nothing.

Just the other night my husband and I were out at a party. We’d been there for about three hours and I was ready to leave. I noticed he was talking to a friend from work. So I walked over, and when there was a break in the conversation, I whispered, “I’m ready to go when you are.” He just kept right on talking.

That’s when I started to put all the pieces together. I don’t think he can see me. I don’t think anyone can see me.

I’m invisible.

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I’m on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I’m thinking, “Can’t you see I’m on the phone?” Obviously not. No one can see if I’m on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all.

I’m invisible.

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?

Some days I’m not a pair of hands; I’m not even a human being. I’m a clock to ask, “What time is it?” I’m a satellite guide to answer, “What number is the Disney Channel?” I’m a car to order, “Right around 5:30, please.” 

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude – but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again.

She’s going … she’s going … she’s gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a banana clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, “I brought you this.”

It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn’t exactly sure why she’d given it to me until I read her inscription: “To Charlotte with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.”

In the days ahead I would read – no, devour – the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:

These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished.

They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.

The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, “Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.”

And the workman replied, “Because God sees.”   

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, “I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you’ve done, no sequin you’ve sewn on, no cupcake you’ve baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can’t see right now what it will become.”

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. 

I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don’t want my son to tell the friend he’s bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, “My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.” That would mean I’d built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, “You’re gonna love it there.”

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we’re doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Do you feel invisible? Do you feel like what you do each day doesn't matter?

Have you found a way to find value in your daily tasks? 

We would love to hear your story!

Please email us at: ContinualCare@gmail.com

Regrets

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Did you make a choice you wish you could go back and change? 

If given the chance to go back and make a change, would you? 

 Please leave a comment of send us an email at: 

ContinualCare@gmail.com

Find Happiness

Spending time with someone who consistently has a bad attitude or is negative about everything around them all of the time is EXHAUSTING to be around. Can you imagine how exhausting it must be for that individual who is so down all of the time? It's depressing to think about. 



For those of us who must endure a friend or family member who is constantly negative, remember to stay positive, stay focused on the things you value and believe in, and most important, do not let another's negative influence bring you down. Recognize they have a problem, not you. Limiting time around a negative person is also a good idea. You will continue to stay  happy, positive, and successful in your life if you surround yourself with others like you. 


For that person who just cannot find happiness, I challenge you to start a gratitude journal. Yep! A journal! And before you have the chance to grumble and say how stupid it is or that it is a complete waste of time, I will guarantee you, that it if you will take on the challenge with an open mind and heart, give it a sincere chance, it will improve your life. 


Gratitude Journal Challenge: Find something you can begin to make your list on. A diary, journal, notepad, or even an iPad will work. Begin the first day with making a list of 10 things you are grateful for that day. Usually the first day is the easiest because you list the obvious things. After several days of listing 10 daily things you are grateful for, the list might seem harder, but once you get into the groove you might even find that a few weeks into the process, it becomes hard to list only 10 items. You might even start walking through your day being grateful for the color green on the grass, the smell of a flower, or the color of someone's eyes. Once that happens, you should be finding that your problems are not so big, your heart is full of love and gratitude, and that your relationships are improving. You will begin to fill a more fulfilled and energetic life. 

Have you taken the Gratitude Journal Challenge? 

Test it out! And let us know how it went!

You can email us at ContinualCare@gmail.com

A Good Kid

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Art Therapy

In some situations, children have a hard time explaining what they are thinking or feeling. Other times, a child may feel too afraid to share something that hurt them or scared them. They may feel like they have done something wrong and that they will be in trouble if they express what they are holding onto.  

Using art is a great way for a child to express their experiences, and the emotions that are attached to the experience, without the child having to vocalize. The event the child might draw or paint can give clues as to what is going on within the child. The patterns in which they use and the colors they choose all are windows that help a qualified therapist to peek inside the soul of the hurting child. 

Below is a list of colors and their meanings. When a child uses these colors in an art therapy setting, it helps the therapist look for deeper messages the child may be trying to express. 

Black

• authority                                                      
• power
• strength
• evil
• death or mourning

White

• purity
• innocence
• cleanliness
• spaciousness

Red

• love
• energy
• intensity
• life
• blood

Yellow

• happiness
• warmth
• frustration
• anger
• attention-getting

Green

• natural
• growth
• money
• health

Blue

• calmness
• cold
• wisdom
• loyalty
• truth

Purple

• royalty
• wealth
• sophistication
• wisdom
• mystery

Have you experienced art therapy in your life? 
Have you witnessed the transformation in another's life? 

If so, we would love to hear from you. Please post a comment or emails us at

ContinualCare@gmail.com