My graduating class only had 35 kids…very few indeed. One of my best pals back then was a dynamic young woman named Johna. For 20 years, she and I lost touch. Then recently, through the use of linkedin and facebook, we reconnected. As luck would have it, we found ourselves in the same city at the same time and we both had time for a dinner. I went with some trepidation–what would it be like to see someone whom I had not talked to in 20 years? We really used to be best friends when we started college, and then our lives drifted.

Well, suffice it to say, that our experience of meeting again was a magical experience of reconnecting. We both concluded that this was the right time to meet each other…and how curious to see how in 20 years our paths had at times been parallel and at times not, but we are in similar good places in our lives now.

So, to those of you out there reading, what are you doing to use social media to reconnect person to person? How is the experience for you? I’d love to hear!

Life is amazing! Live Well.

Anna Grassini
www.lifeinbalancecoach.com

I just came across a John Lennon phrase “Time you enjoy wasting, is not wasted.” A couple of days ago I was listening to a friend who was lamenting how people at a meeting were wasting time and how she had no patience for that kind of waste. The words from John Lennon seem to provide an explanation for how subjective one’s perspective really is–at that meeting where my friend found she was wasting precious time, other people were probably enjoying the time wasted immensely.

Sometimes those of us who are task oriented become so focussed on the task at hand that we don’t appreciate that our world is made richer by those people around us who are more oriented towards community and fellowship than task. Mercifully, the world is a wonderful place and there is room for both types of people: those who are task oriented will get things done, and those who are seeking connection, will also get things done, albeit at a slower pace. There is no doubt in my mind that at the end of my days I will not be looking back to ask how many tasks I have accomplished–did it really matter that a 1000 envelopes were addressed and sealed in a hour? Or will I long for the joy of the people who came together to give of their time, even if they seemed to be wasting mine?
So next time you think someone is wasting your time, think how much the other person may be enjoying herself! What would it take to see it from her point of view?

Life is Amazing! Live Well.
Anna Grassini

Sometimes I wonder what is the value of experience. On a personal level, I think we find our own experiences mean something. What we have lived through in the past may guide in the present and prevent us from taking a similar path to the one we have taken before. After all, the definition of insanity is to do the same thing every time expecting different results. So, if we cannot plead insanity, we use experience to change our response or our course of action when we see a pattern that is familiar.

Still, I wonder–is there any value in sharing our experience? Can it be so powerfully communicated to another person that it will change the way that person walks in her life? I do not know the answer–maybe it will become more obvious as I age a little longer. What do you think? Would love to get the conversation going!

Life is amazing! Live well.
Anna Grassini

Do you know someone in your life who has been touched by cancer? What if we put the power of all of us to work for the cure?  We have the chance.  Join me in supporting the campaign for  ”The Infinite Power of One” –and let’s prove that together, we are more powerful than cancer.
Twelve leading cancer centers are asking all Americans that can, to go online and donate $1.  I am asking you to consider doing so.  Simply log onto their sponsor, www.celebrations.com/cure to make your donation.  Then add your picture to their Healing Mosaic, which is a visual representation of the infinite power that one person and $1 can have on our health. After you make your donation, come back and share with us how it feels to have the infinite power of one and to work together to make our world a better place to live.  Thanks for joining me!

Life is Amazing.  Live Well.

Anna Grassini

Want a coach? Visit me at www.lifeinbalancecoach.com

Spring is almost here.  Before everything is in bloom, have you pruned the plants that needed it? And in your life, have you pruned those relationships that sap you of energy? What  are you doing to feed those relationships that nourish your soul and let you grow and evolve?

Last night I had dinner with a wonderful friend.  We talked about creating space in our lives for those friends that really nourish us.  Our energy is limited and we are human beings with needs and desires. We are also generous.  The most efficient use of our lives is to fill them with those people who allow us to grow by nourishing our souls.  Real friends let us soar to new heights. 

So this week I invite you to reflects on those friendships.  Will you blog about what friendship means in your life? I would love to know!

Life is Amazing! Live Well.

Anna

www.lifeinbalancecoach.com