Posted by Lori Brown on Thursday, July 19, 2012,
For those of you following my blog you know that I have been in school for the past 18 months to get my official life coaching certification. I am almost finished with my classes and supervision and will sit for exams soon. I realize I have not been writing and keeping up with my newsletters, but something had to go for a few months. Never fear, I will be resuming my newsletter as well as my weekly blogs in September. Also, be on the lookout for some changes on the horizon. I am in the proce... Continue reading ...
Posted by Lori Brown on Thursday, May 31, 2012,
While still on the topic of change I thought I would share something that will require significant change on my part. My sister, Angela, will be turning 40 in slightly less that 2 years. All she wants for her 40th birthday is to run/walk 40 miles with her friends. Lucky for her, there happens to be a 24 hour endurance race on her birthday and she believes that not just she, but we, can complete 40 miles during that time. I have agreed. ( I do believe she waited to ask me after I had drank... Continue reading ...
Posted by Lori Brown on Thursday, May 31, 2012,
So, apparently transformation is going to be more difficult than I realized... While on my 2 day get-away, workshop, journey toward change or whatever you want to call it I decided to buy myself something. The idea was to buy something that would be a constant reminder of the things I wanted to change. I decided on a ring. Not just any ring. It had to be big, bold and I knew I would know it when I saw it. Thirty minutes into my shopping (in one store), I still had not found the one. I ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Lori Brown on Thursday, May 31, 2012,
Nothing super charges your desire and excitement for change like a weekend workshop on acceptance and wholehearted living.
Last weekend I went away for a 2-day event with Brene Brown. She is a researcher, author, speaker, blogger,storyteller and one of the most sarcastic , honest women I have ever met. Her work speaks to me in such a way that I had to keep reminding myself that she is not my friend, she does not live in my neighborhood and we are not in carpool together! I have read both... Continue reading ...
Posted by Lori Brown on Thursday, May 31, 2012,
I have been coached every week for about 15 months by my peers on everything from exercising more, working on my business and creating plans for studying. Three weeks ago, I was coached for the first time by a professionally certified coach(PCC) who has been working for years as an executive coach. I have no words, except, "he kicked my butt!" I wanted to discuss a plan to work on my business. He pounded me with question after question until I stopped working at the surface and dug in a li... Continue reading ...
Posted by Lori Brown on Saturday, April 21, 2012,
Okay, so I have been working hard on my intentions while creating my vision boards. I LOVE THEM! I did four small ones; one for each category that I chose to work on this year. I started by deciding on my goals for the year. Then, I went through magazines and cut things out that represented that particular goal. I was not able to find a photo or words to represent each goal, so I wrote them out on paper. I cannot tell you how exciting it was to write these things down. To know that thes... Continue reading ...
Posted by Lori Brown on Wednesday, April 18, 2012,
Posted by Lori Brown on Tuesday, April 17, 2012,
After realizing how powerful visualization can be, I have decided to take my time with my vision board. I am being very intentional with each item. I have added words, pictures and quotes so far. I want each item to represent a goal that I plan to manifest through visualization and hard work. Obviously, I am not going to get buff abs by just visualizing them! For those of you creating a vision board with me, please share your progress on my FB page! Remember, pick a time frame and work b... Continue reading ...
Posted by Lori Brown on Saturday, April 7, 2012,
Posted by Lori Brown on Saturday, April 7, 2012,
Last night when I was writing about my goals I stated that I would go on a spiritual retreat this year. When I wrote it I had absolutely nothing in mind. I almost removed it from my list as I wasn't sure I would do it. However, it came to my mind as something I would like to do and removing it would not be stepping outside my box or dreaming big. It would be contradictory to the vision board altogether. I wanted to do it and I was keeping it on my list!
Fourteen hours after I wrote it as m... Continue reading ...
Posted by Lori Brown on Thursday, April 5, 2012,
 So, I am ready to get my creative juices flowing, but first I need to evaluate my goals and the timeline I want to work on. For my vision board, I am going to focus on the next twelve months. The areas I have decided to focus on are: Health and Fitness Spirituality Career Relationships You may decide to only focus on one area or you may have more categories, it's up to you. For the purpose of this blog and to help you understand what to add to your vision board, I am going to give you an exa... Continue reading ...
Posted by Lori Brown on Friday, March 30, 2012,
Okay, so I have been on an extended hiatus with not so much as a word! I would love to tell you that I have been on a Hawaiian Island sipping Mai Tais on the beach, but that is so far from the truth. All I can say is that life has got the better of me the past month and I just couldn't keep up. While I wasn't writing, I was continuing to take classes and fill my head with so many thoughts and ideas that I can't wait to share with everyone in the coming months. Look for my April newsletter c... Continue reading ...
Posted by Lori Brown on Friday, March 2, 2012,
This last story is about family and the "pursuit of perfection" at home. In my previous blogs, this month, I have defined perfection using several sources. My favorite source, however, refers to the origin of the word perfection: "The genealogy of the concept of "perfection" reaches back beyond Latin, to Greek. The Greek equivalent of the Latin "perfectus" was "teleos." The latter Greek expression generally had concrete referents, such as a perfect physician or flutist, a perfect comedy or... Continue reading ...
Posted by Lori Brown on Friday, February 24, 2012,
"Life is what happens to you while you are busy making plans."
John Lennon
This quote always reminds me of what we were doing prior to our oldest daughter, Alex, being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes six years ago. It's also how many of us live our lives; oblivious to what is happening right before our eyes because we are busy pursuing the perfect path.
I have spoken in other blogs about Alex's perspective and acceptance of her diabetes. I h... Continue reading ...
Posted by Lori Brown on Tuesday, February 14, 2012,
Happy Valentine’s Day
Being Valentine’s Day, I thought it would be appropriate to share my thoughts regarding the, “pursuit of perfection” in love and relationships.
If I use the definition from last week to describe, “perfection” as it is related to love or our closest relationships I really begin to struggle with a connection. “Flawlessness” is how Merriam-Webster dictionary defines perfection. Are any of your relationships flawless? I didn’t think so.
What a... Continue reading ...
Posted by Lori Brown on Friday, February 10, 2012,
What is perfection? Dictionary.com defines perfection as the highest degree of proficiency, skill or excellence; flawlessness. This definition makes me think of competition and my middle daughter, Sydney.
Sydney is almost 15 years old, she takes a full load of high school classes, skis competitively 5 days/week, maintains friendships at home and on the mountain, has a significant case of scoliosis, has recovered from a torn ACL with 9 months of serious physical therapy, is a vegetarian, lov... Continue reading ...
Posted by Lori Brown on Friday, January 27, 2012,
Many of us began the New Year with the idea of quitting a habit or denying ourselves something in hopes of making a change. Some of us decided to give up soda, meat, cigarettes, sugar, alcohol or TV. It doesn't matter what the "thing" is that we are giving up, it's difficult because it more than likely has become a "non-negotiable" in your life! By the end of January, you may be wanting a little of that something that you gave up. Well, guess what? If you have a little, you are going to ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Lori Brown on Thursday, January 19, 2012,
It's a New Year and we are all wanting to make some changes. Are you still hoping or are you actually doing something to create change in your life?
This week I will be sharing some ideas about creating non-negotiables in your life. What are non-negotiables? These are things that we have created in our lives that MUST happen every day or on certain days of the week. Some of you may be thinking that your entire life is negotiable and there isn't anything that you have created that is non-ne... Continue reading ...
Posted by Lori Brown on Thursday, January 12, 2012,
So, you have decided to make a change, but aren't sure where to begin? The key is to make small changes.
For example, I have spoken to a lot of people who want to work out 30 minutes a day, but they aren't sure where to fit it in their schedule. However, if I ask them if they could work out 1 or maybe 5 minutes per day, they always agree that they could do that, but believe it's not enough to make a change. The reality is that if you make small changes each week, you will be working out 20-3... Continue reading ...
Posted by Lori Brown on Thursday, January 12, 2012,
If Not Now When?
This has become my mantra over the past year and my goal is to continue this attitude into 2012. What does it mean? To me this has meant going back to school, starting a business, doing what I love and losing 25 pounds. These are things that I have wanted to do for several years, but my road blocks kept saying I was too busy, I had too many responsibilities, not enough money and definitely not enough time. While all of these things had some truth to them, the reality was ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Lori Brown on Wednesday, December 28, 2011,
As we move toward the end of 2011 take the time to breathe in the past year and let it go...
In the space between today and the beginning of 2012 there is enough time to choose how we will move forward. Many of us have gone back to work, friends have left and we are back from visiting family. We have begun to move beyond the holidays and we are thinking about everything that needs to be done.
"In truth, no amount of rearranging the world will make us feel worthy. The only response to ad... Continue reading ...
Posted by Lori Brown on Tuesday, December 20, 2011,
"The deepest desire of my heart is to see another and to be seen by the Other."
St. Augustine
Last week, I shared my thoughts on "being good enough" during the holidays, so that you could take time to enjoy your family. My challenge for you was to live with authenticity and only do what you can, especially during this busy season!
This week we are taking it a step further and sharing what I think is one of the greatest gifts we could give this season: The gift of seeing others for who they a... Continue reading ...
Posted by Lori Brown on Thursday, December 15, 2011,
"Let go of who you think you're supposed to be and embrace who you are"
Brene Brown
There are times in our lives when our inner critic raises his/her voice making us believe that we are supposed to be something different that we are. The holidays are one of those times when we feel the pressure to have everything perfect, at all times. We want to make sure we don't forget anyone on our list, or even someone we forgot to put on our list. We want the house to look festive and everything ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Lori Brown on Wednesday, December 7, 2011,
"The groundwork of all happiness is health"
James Leigh Hunt
As I mentioned in my December Newsletter, I will be sharing tips to get through the holidays with ease, peace and enjoyment. During the Holiday season it's especially important to take care of yourself. It's easy to get busy with all of your holiday obligations and suddenly you have had late nights, skipped meals, stuffed yourself with unhealthy food and the only exercise you have gotten is walking to and from your car!
Let Visions... Continue reading ...
Posted by Lori Brown on Sunday, December 4, 2011,
Check out this Free Advent Calendar by Noomii at
http://www.noomii.com/advent-calendar-2011/
It offers Acts of Kindness for the month of December. You can even subscribe and have the daily tip sent to your email each day until Christmas morning.
Enjoy!
Peace & Gratitude
Continue reading ...
Posted by Lori Brown on Friday, December 2, 2011,
Happy Holidays
Fall has come and gone and now we enter the hustle and bustle of December. This is the month where our lives ramp up with parties, gift buying, picture taking, tree decorating, cookie baking, finals, traveling and, of course, family! It’s exhausting just thinking about it.
So, how do you plan to get through it? Is your plan to press forward with your head down and recreate a “Martha Stewart” holiday regardless of the consequences? Perhaps, you plan to sleep... Continue reading ...
Posted by Lori Brown on Wednesday, November 23, 2011,
For the month of November we have been discussing the importance of gratitude in our daily lives There have been many suggestions over the past few weeks and I hope all of you have implemented one or more of these practices.
In honor of Thanksgiving, here are a few more ideas for practicing gratitude with your family.
1. The Gratitude Basket- Collect rocks and place them in a basket with a sharpie. Have everyone around the table write one thing on a rock that they are grateful for this year... Continue reading ...
Posted by Lori Brown on Thursday, November 17, 2011,
This is my third installment on Gratitude and some of you may be saying, "I just don't have time to journal or meditate on what I am thankful for." Well, keep reading because this is the blog for you!
Today, we are going to be discussing small things that can make a big difference in your life. The most important thing about gratitude is remembering to be grateful. Most people just get so busy with their lives that they don't remember to take the time to be grateful.
The first tip to incre... Continue reading ...
Posted by Lori Brown on Thursday, November 10, 2011,
“How often is our attention wasted on judging, criticizing and correcting others while we neglect the examination and lessons of our own life?"
Gregg Krech
This week I am going to be discussing Naikan. According to Gregg Krech, in his book,"Naikan: Gratitude, Grace, and the Japanese Art of Self-Reflection",Naikan actually means, "inside observation." It's importan... Continue reading ...
Posted by Lori Brown on Saturday, October 29, 2011,
For our first week of gratitude we are going to discuss the benefits of practicing gratitude. As I mentioned in my November newsletter, practicing gratitude actually increases your level of happiness. How do we know this? Researchers, Dr. Robert Emmons and Michael McCullogh, among others, have researched the practice of gratitude. They found that "counting ones's blessings', and incorporating gratitude into one's day on a regular basis increased feelings of optimism and hope, helped build... Continue reading ...
Posted by Lori Brown on Saturday, October 29, 2011,
Fall is a great time to take time and reflect on your past year. What has gone right? What would you like to change? What are you grateful for? This month we will be focusing on Gratitude. Merriam Webster Dictionary defines Gratitude as, “the state of being grateful: thankfulness.” I like this definition because I believe this is what we could be striving for: constantly looking for things to be grateful for; a perspective change; a reframing of our experience. Why do we need gr... Continue reading ...
Posted by Lori Brown on Tuesday, June 28, 2011,
I have had many people ask me what "Growing Happiness" means and why I chose this name. For me, Growing Happiness is about our journey. It's about finding joy and meaning in our lives. It's about finding passion. I don't look at happiness as a goal that can be achieved. I look at happiness as something that we cultivate over time. Most of us want it now! We live in a society that has taught us to expect immediate gratification. We all believe the next phone, car, house, job is going ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Lori Brown on Tuesday, June 28, 2011,
Okay, so maybe growing happiness isn't easy, but some days, it's next to impossible.
First, let me just say that while these are supposed to be the "lazy days of summer", I think most moms out there will tell you there is nothing lazy about it. Entertaining our kids for 3 months is a daunting task. There are camps, pool trips, summer school, summer reading assignments, back to back sleepovers, lemonade stands and did I mention the friends? Yes, it's a more relaxed atmosphere, there are va... Continue reading ...
Posted by Lori Brown on Friday, June 3, 2011,
Fear. Just saying the word can cause heart palpitations. According to Dictionary.com, fear is the distressing emotion caused by impending danger; anxiety or concern. We tend to use the word to describe our feelings about heights, nightmares, movies, severe storms or child birth. Fear is useful when it provides us with the sixth sense to keep us out of harm's way. A little bit of fear is also good when you are ready to give a speech or play a soccer game; it gets the blood pumping! But... Continue reading ...
Posted by Lori Brown on Saturday, May 28, 2011,
For most of you this will be the first blog entry of mine that you will read. I wanted it to be representative of what this space is about. While I may write articles about important topics such as gratitude, boundaries, self-esteem and goal setting, I will also write about my life. I feel it's important to let you see that while my business may be to help you with your life, mine isn't perfect. This is a place where I hope you will laugh, cry, reflect and maybe decide to take a chan... Continue reading ...
Posted by Lori Brown on Friday, March 25, 2011,
Sometimes in order to grow happiness we must first endure pain. Appreciation for love, life and the blessings we receive grows through the trials that we face. Some families live through unthinkable circumstances, while others seem to sail through life, but not everyone comes out smiling on the other side. Gratitude is the key.
Does this mean that if we have never faced great challenges in our lives that we can’t possibly appreciate what we have? No, I believe some people possess a s... Continue reading ...
Posted by Lori Brown on Thursday, March 17, 2011,
In my last blog, I mentioned that some of my family members, including myself, took an assessment of their character strengths. I like the word, assessment, because it doesn't sound as scary as the word, test. When I say, "test", it conjures up the possibility of failing. Fear of failure does not grow happiness nor does it get children to take "tests." The assessment that we took is called the, VIA. According to Christopher Peterson Ph.D, the lead developer of the VIA, this is a test of 24... Continue reading ...
Posted by Lori Brown on Thursday, March 10, 2011,
This week my family is starting a gratitude journal.
I had my two oldest daughters take an assessment on their character strengths, and “gratitude” was one of their top five strengths. That is remarkable to me as they don’t always seem that grateful! I feel very grateful, but it is not one of my top five strengths. Due to my apparent lack of gratitude, my instructor has suggested I keep a “gratitude journal” for at least 30 days to see if I can strengthen that characteristic... Continue reading ...
Posted by Lori Brown on Thursday, March 10, 2011,
What does taking a class via teleconference, a dryer and a roll of box tape have in common?
Let me take you on a journey through my Monday morning and you will find out!
My morning began with one happy daughter who went to school, one daughter who woke up sick and stayed home and one daughter who had to be bribed, coerced and finally driven to school.
Are you still with me? Okay, good. So, I take my positive psychology coaching class on Monday morning at 10:00 am. That is just... Continue reading ...
Posted by Lori Brown on Saturday, February 26, 2011,
My middle daughter, Sydney, is a spark plug. She has a huge personality and enough energy for five people. She is passionate about everything she does and for the most part, fearless.
She is also very bright.
On her 14th birthday we were celebrating with gifts, pizza and laughter. A story came to light about Sydney skiing with a certain boy on her team; alone. Jokes were made, the story was partially refuted and then her older sister, Alex, wanted to know how she does it. She demanded ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Lori Brown on Thursday, February 24, 2011,
My first homework assignment is to write about a time when I was "my best self". The moments that come to mind are when I have been forced, by circumstances beyond my control, to bring all of myself to the table. Some examples would be when my family has had an unexpected diagnosis, health emergency or accident. These are times in which I have tried to rise to the occassion and be my best self.
I believe the moment I am looking for, though, is right now. By signing up for these classes, I ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Lori Brown on Thursday, February 24, 2011,
After 15 years of being at home with my children, I have officially started back to school!
As the day approached I prepared by buying paper, pens, folders, books, highlighters and other very important school supplies. I have always loved school supplies. I really wanted the vintage Wonder Woman lunchbox, too, but since my classes are virtual, I decided it wasn't necessary.
I joined the group website for my class and entered my information. I also read the profiles of my fellow classmates.... Continue reading ...
Posted by Lori Brown on Friday, February 18, 2011,
Putting up walls and avoiding relationships with people is unhealthy. Setting boundaries and standards for how you are willing to be treated, on the other hand, are things we all need to learn. Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online defines boundaries as something that indicates or fixes a limit or extent. We, as individuals, have a limit to who and what we can be to other people. At first thought, this may sound like a strange topic to discuss in the realm of happiness. However, I have fo... Continue reading ...
Posted by Lori Brown on Tuesday, February 15, 2011,
 The other night my husband was out of town and I was reading in my room when Alex walked in crying and holding her little pink baby. For those of you who don't know us, Alex has had this baby since she was born. She doesn't go anywhere without it and will attest to losing sleep if it happens to fall on the floor and she is unable to find it in the middle of the night. This baby has been so well loved that it is barely three dimesional anymore. It is almost a rag! So, the other night m... Continue reading ...
Posted by Lori Brown on Thursday, February 10, 2011,
Everyone loves a snow day! Even I thrill at the sound of the text message at 4:30am indicating the school closure. My children are all up at 7:30am because they are so excited, even my teenagers! Mind you I couldn't pry their bodies out of bed the day before at that hour! Then the phone begins to ring at 8:00. Doesn't everyone know it is a snow day and we(as in me) are trying to sleep in? By 8:30 all three of my daughters are arguing about what to eat for breakfast, whose socks are... Continue reading ...
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I am looking for 2 clients who would be willing to be coached at a discounted rate for the purpose of my certification hours.
Please contact me at:
lori.growinghappiness@gmail.com
Check out all of my blog posts under Recent Posts and Archived Posts Below!
Leave a comment, I love hearing what you have to say!
Have something you want me to write about? Let me know!
"Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect. It means that you have decided to look beyond the imperfections." Author Unknown
About Me
| Lori Brown |
| Colorado Springs |
I live in Colorado Springs with my husband, Andy and my three daughters, Alex, Sydney and Reese. In another life I went to The Ohio State University where I studied psychology and family relations. I did research in health psychology and earned my B.A. in 1992. After moving to Colorado I worked as a mental health worker in an inpatient hospital, residential and school facility for children with behavioral issues. During that time I realized how important it was for me to raise my children in a loving, nurturing environment. For me, that meant staying at home for the past 15 years taking them to preschool, the library, play dates, the doctor, the dentist, soccer, volleyball, physical therapy, piano, gymnastics, dance, skiing and church.
While I am still assuming this role, I am back in school taking master coaching classes and growing my coaching business. This blog is about my journey, your journey and my family's movement toward a happier, more fulfilled life.
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