Happy Thanksgiving!

Nov 25, 2015 by Jim and Jerolyn Bogear

It’s Thanksgiving week here in United States. So we are suppose to write about being thankful, correct? I mean why wouldn’t you? But this isn’t a chore, even though it is dictated some by the calendar.

Thanksgiving is good for so many reasons but stopping to reflect and give thanks ranks right up there with them. Personally, I have grown to love Thanksgiving for many years. I am a Christmas Kid at heart but the family time, relaxed opportunity to hang out, and oh yes, delicious food make Thanksgiving a wonderful celebration for this “boy.”

One thing I (Jim) am learning is to implement more of a structured time to evaluate and reflect personally. We have also been learning through our coaching of business/corporate clients the importance of this reflection time on a daily and weekly basis.

But Thanksgiving gives us opportunity to pause and give thanks. To give thanks requires us to put at least a little thinking and reflection into what we are thankful for.

People say, me included, that we shouldn’t just be thankful at Thanksgiving time. But Thanksgiving, and celebrating this time, does help us catch ourselves from our fast pace to reflect and give thanks. That is in part what Thanksgiving is to do for us. So don’t excuse it as we should do it all the time; rather embrace it as a key reminder to take time to reflect and give thanks!

Take advantage to not let Thanksgiving simply be a holiday. Embrace it as a time to reflect and give thanks. We all have something or someone to be thankful. Many of us have so much.

I am so blessed and thankful. Thankful for all of you and how many of impacted my life. Grateful to God for all the blessings and favor, even in the challenging times of life.

There is so much to be thankful that you and I could list, so maybe not here, but take some time to reflect before responding to the question, “For what, or whom, are you thankful?” Then tell it to at least those who are closest to you. You will encourage them while reminding yourself of how much you have to be thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Jim and Jerolyn

Legacy C3

PS- Personal Thanksgiving note: As of this writing our youngest is in route home for Thanksgiving traveling from college a long way from us (It was a last minute kind of decision that we are thrilled happened). We are so excited AND thankful!!! For us…FAMILY!!!

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The Value of Reflection

Apr 23, 2015 by Jim and Jerolyn Bogear

 

Maybe it is having a granddaughter who is now 1 year old and aging as I type this. Possibly because our youngest is 20 and life continues to move at an incredible pace. Or maybe it is just reflection as we enter into another year. Whatever the cause it is all good to get me to simply stop and reflect.

In my counseling background the concept of reflection stems from dealing and attempting to figure out the past, who to blame, and what causes me to be the way I am. Yes, a bit of tongue and cheek there but with my forthrightness and not being able to change the past, I have ignored this.  So we can be looking and moving forward, not dwelling on something that I can’t change. And even if I figure it out, how does it help me now in heading toward a brighter exciting anticipatory future?

We have all heard that the windshield is much larger than the rear view mirror. Stop looking in the rear view mirror and pay attention to where you are headed.

I have for years told our children this when they are literally walking. As soon as I take my eye off of where I am heading and stare at something behind or beside me I inevitably stumble and often fall or hit something right in front of me.

But in coaching others I am learning the value of reflection. Not as I perceived above, rather what have I done, and how effective have I been? What did I learn to do this better in the future?

In dealing with business leaders, CEO’s, and high achievers, I am learning the value of what productive reflection offers, including some direct personal questions of effectiveness and evaluation, and makes us and our business better and moving forward toward higher levels of productivity in all areas of our lives. And so it is in our relationships. I am finding the need to commit time and energy into these relationships. So, I need to evaluate how I have spent my time and how productive I have been in engaging in healthy relationships.

Who do you need to spend more time with these days?
Who do you probably need to stop hanging around as much?
Who are you having invest in you, mentor you, or come alongside and help you be a better you? Who is simply a good friend to help you grow in life?
Who should you be pouring more of your life into to disciple, mentor, and ultimately communicate with words, effort, energy, and physical presence a genuine friendship?
How can you and I reflect on our relationships to help us become better and help others to become all God designed and desires?

~ Jim and Jerolyn

 

 

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Review and Reflect

Dec 30, 2013 by Jim and Jerolyn Bogear

Taking time to reflect is great. Gearing up to get ready for a new year is also needed and good. So, what are ideas that might work for both of these days? Let’s take a look at these knowing that we have already arrived to this time of year. You might choose to do these even now as you prepare for 2014, but look at the recommendations for applying these principles more than just one time a year.

“The Week Between”…every year between Christmas and New Year’s for several years now, I have learned from others the value of taking this time to both reflect and get ready.

Thinking back over the year…

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