Carol Schulte

Get your Brave on!

Women Living Big - LIVE

Is it about maximizing the moment, or experiencing the moment?

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Is it about maximizing the moment, or experiencing the moment?

Happy Friday!

 

Greetings from Turks & Caicos, where I’m enjoying some fun in the sun time with my amazing family. (It’s true – jetsetting from Colombia to the beach… I’m a spoiled girl, extremely lucky girl… however also a very grateful girl!)

In this moment, I’m sitting by the pool, watching children splash and play, watching drinks splash and swirl, watching people splash and smile.

I’m witnessing a moment in time.

And it may just be this moment right now, wherever you are, perhaps an insignificant moment you may not give much thought to, that becomes a special moment in your life.

Perhaps it’s the epic soundtrack music I’m listening to, however in this moment, although not jumping out of a plane or climbing a volcano, I‘m still having an experience, right here, right now.

Now I’ll admit I’m a self-confessed maximizer.

I want to make the most of every situation, say yes to every opportunity, squeeze in every experience possible.

However in an effort to want to maximize my time, maximize every experience, I wonder if sometimes I end up minimizing some of the moments that truly matter.

These moments, like the one I’m having right here, right now, are the ones that make up your life.

And yet if we’re trying too hard to create a moment, or force a moment, we may end up losing out on the moment.

I like doing things. And, if I’m honest, I also like feeling as though I’m doing things. Checking things off the list so to speak.

This week, I haven’t done a whole heck of a lot. At least, not with respect to ‘checking things’ off any list.

But maybe I’ve done more than I realize.

I’ve enjoyed time with my family. I’ve had special conversations. I’ve played with Elmo, danced on the stage with Cookie Monster and other Sesame Street friends, had lots of fun potty trips with my niece and nephew, and lathered on a whole heck of a lot of kids’ sunscreen.

I like maximizing. I like doing things. I like lists. And yet perhaps I’m realizing it’s not always about checking things off any list at all.

 

Living your life cannot be captured in a do-to list.

 

So this week, at some point I challenge you to put away your list, and be open to experiencing a moment in time, this moment in time, and enjoying it for what it is. No need to maximize anything. Just experience.

Deep thoughts from sitting in the sun, HA!

Have a FAB week!

Carol - high res

 

 

What are your thoughts on maximizing versus experiencing? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.

3 Ways to find comfort OUTSIDE of your comfort zone!

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I was still a little teary when I walked up to Sherry at the Westjet check-in desk at the Calgary airport on Monday evening.

 

After I explained I had just said goodbye and was starting my Remote Year adventures, she must have felt for me, as she didn’t charge me anything for my baggage being slightly overweight!

 

I’m now in Mexico City, the first stop on my Remote Year, where I’ll be living for the next month.

 

It hasn’t totally hit me yet.

 

Not sure I know exactly what I’m getting myself into… and as ready and excited as I am, it’s also a little bit uncomfortable, I’m not going to lie!

 

It’s a new city, new language, new culture.

 

The currency is different, the roads are different, the routine is different.

 

I didn’t know anyone before I arrived, and now I’ve met just about every one of the 79 ‘Remotes’ (as they refer to us!) in this cohort, as well as a few locals, and lots of friendly uber drivers (YES, they have uber here, thank goodness!)

 

I’m living in a cute little apartment with a new roommate, and commute to the communal workspace every day, about a 25 minute walk away.

 

I’ve only been here a few days, and so it’s expected not everything is going to feel comfortable. But then again, any time we’re out of our comfort zone we’re going to be uncomfortable.

 

And yet, it’s outside of our comfort zones where the magic happens, where the game of life truly gets played, and where you find yourself really growing.

 

Here are three things you can do to find a little more comfort within the discomfort:

 

  1. Feel it out, and talk it out.

 

Allow yourself to fully experience what you’re feeling. It’s important to go through it, to feel all the emotions. And then find someone you trust who you can talk to about it. Share your feelings, get them out.

 

  1. Reflect on past times you were uncomfortable, and identify your successes.

 

Take some time to identify some of your past accomplishments, or other times in your life when you were experiencing similar feelings. What did you do to get through them? Celebrate your achievements, and acknowledge yourself for getting through uncomfortable times in the past, knowing you will again this time.

 

  1. Do something that lights you up, and shift your focus away from yourself

 

When I was having a moment yesterday, I decided to get out and join a few people for lunch. Meeting other people, and hearing their stories, allowed me to focus on something other than myself and how I was feeling. And because connecting with others and good conversation makes me happy, I felt totally different afterwards!

 

 

This year, I’m committed to walking my walk and getting out of my comfort zone. However that doesn’t mean it’s always going to be easy!

 

So when you find yourself in a place of discomfort, talk it out, reflect on past successes, and do something that lights you up.

 

And remember, Life is not supposed to be comfortable when you’re out of your comfort zone. (Click to tweet it out!)

 

Have a FAB week!

Carol - high res

 

 

 

P.S. It’s not even a week into the New Year! Still LOTS of time to think about what you may want to create in 2017! Join my FREE Live Online Training entitled ‘Intentions, Resolutions, and Goals, Oh MY!’ on Tuesday, Jan. 10th, 7pm EST!

 

Feel the love, share the love, celebrate the love this holiday season…

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Feel the love, share the love, celebrate the love this holiday season…

Happy Friday!

And moreover, happy two days before Christmas!

There’s something special about arriving at the airport when you know you have someone there to greet you.

On Wednesday evening I came through the arrival gates to see both my sisters welcoming me… we’re a pretty cheesy family but I also kinda love it!

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Then today we were back, and I got to be part of the welcome committee this time as the first members of our overseas family arrived… all in preparation for the family wedding in a week!

While waiting, I had the pleasure of watching numerous reunions take place…. sisters and brothers and parents and children, grandparents being rushed to by their grandchildren; boyfriends and girlfriends embracing.

(I imagined the Love Actually soundtrack playing in the background…!)

And I realized, that is what this time of year is all about.

Surrounding yourself with your loved ones. Experiencing real human connection.

 

This holiday season,

Amongst the shopping and the wrapping and the cooking and the baking,

the entertaining, the decorating, and the holiday pie making…

I hope you take some time to feel the love, share the love, and celebrate the love all around you.

 

Whatever that looks like to you, enjoy this special season with those that matter most.

And may you end 2016 feeling the love, and enter into 2017 ready for more!

To you and yours, wishing you a very merry and joyous holiday season…

And if you didn’t get a chance to see our holiday card yet, check it out here:

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Carol - high res

Through the sweat, the stress, all the tears and the fears, it was SO worth it…

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Through the sweat, the stress, all the tears and the fears, it was SO worth it…

One week ago today we were literally ‘taking the leap’ into foam pits, being cheerleaders with the former captain of the Argos Cheerleading Squad (complete with pom poms and everything!), and trying out activities like drum circles, creative time travel, African dance, Sign Language, juggling, self defense… We enjoyed incredible performances from musicians to jugglers to spoken word poets, we even a pole dancer and a surprise FLASH MOB!

Not to mention getting TOTALLY inspired by the incredible two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Heather Moyse (who even had my Dad in tears… yes, he was the sole brave man in a room of over 100 women!)

It truly was an EPIC day.

Now it wasn’t all unicorns and rainbows (let’s pretend I wasn’t crying in the shower at 5:30am the morning of when all the printing and the beautiful playbooks hadn’t yet arrived, and had to put them in an Uber at the last minute!) yet when I was actually standing in that room, in front of a packed house of empowered women and smiling faces, I had a moment of “Oh my goodness, WE DID IT.”

If you’re someone who wasn’t able to be there, my intention is not to make you feel left out, rather to invite you in.

It’s hard to sum up in words what the day was all about, so I thought I’d share some of the words and phrases the women wrote on the ‘I am Living Big’ wall…

(and oh yes, there were more tears when, the night before I found myself in some random office unit somewhere off the highway east of Toronto picking up this beautiful sign, I realized it would have to be chopped into 3 pieces in order to squeeze into my mini! Not sure what I was thinking there… however LOTS learned!)

 SO, what does living big mean to YOU?

  • Inviting fear along for the adventure
  • Taking chances
  • Living the life of your dreams and serving the world with your unique legacy
  • Nurturing me to nurture others
  • Connecting to my inner child ~ the one who explores all there is
  • Believing and accomplishing my dreams
  • No longer living within self-imposed limits
  • Living large baby!
  • Now is my time
  • Be courageous… there is only now
  • Letting go of fear and finding FREEDOM in exchange
  • Life is not a rehearsal
  • Saying NO more and YES to joy
  • Setting BIG goals and crushing them
  • Doing something once a day that scares you…
  • Courageously stepping out of my comfort zone
  • I am limitless and create all possibilities that are for my greater good
  • Being prepared to stand out from the crowd
  • Recognize and be grateful for each day
  • Feeling empowered to do something new and exciting! 

And that was only a random handful…

Reading these words warms my heart. And then watching so many brave women literally bring these ideas to life as they did last Friday ~ is ridiculously inspiring.

And so, even though I found myself panting and sweating up a storm yesterday in the Telus Tower loading dock, during my third trip back picking up the last of the boxes of goods, I couldn’t help but smile.

While struggling to squeeze the sign into my car, I caught myself reading some of these powerful phrases. And in that moment, I realized the sleepless nights, the stress, all the fears and all the tears, were all so totally worth it.

Thank you ALL… to my amazing WLB Team, to those who partnered with us, supported us, generously sponsored us, volunteered with us, participated with us, or were quietly watching from the sidelines… from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU.

You helped to make MY big dream a reality. And I am forever grateful.

 

And now I want to hear from YOU! Answer this question: “I am living big…” in the comments below!

And have a FAB week!

Carol - high res

 

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