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Tag: Mindful

An Invitation to Try Again

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The start of the new year brings invitations…to get back on that exercise program…to eat more healthily…to read before bed instead of scrolling, for example. One of the things I’m focused on is reflection. Centering myself at the beginning and end of the day. Reading to inspire. Gratitude. Carrying my values through my day.

As part of my “line up” last year, I learned to incorporate The Book of Awakening, by Mark Nepo. It’s a book with daily entries centering on “having the life you want by being present to the life you have.” Today’s entry stopped me in my tracks. Like it was written just for me, just for this space, reacting to the tense and tumultuous world we are living in right now. Read on…

“Meeting the world – January 28th entry, page 32

There is a wind that keeps blowing since the beginning of time, and in every language ever spoken it continues to whisper, You must meet the outer world with your inner world or existence will crush you. If inner does not meet outer, lives will collapse and vanish. Though we often think that hiding our inwardness will somehow protect or save us, it is quite the opposite. The heart is very much like a miraculous balloon. Its lightness comes from staying full. Meeting the days with our heart prevents collapse.

This is why ninety-year-old widows remain committed to tending small flowers in spring; why ten-year-olds with very little to eat care for stray kittens, holding them to their skinny chests; why painters going blind paint more; why composers going deaf write great symphonies. This is why when we think we can’t possibly try again, we let out a sigh that goes back through the centuries, and then, despite all our experience, we inhale and try again.”

What I love about this entry is the reminder that our inner life isn’t a luxury or an escape—it’s what grounds us. It’s what steadies us when the world feels sharp or overwhelming. So many of us try to muscle through the hard days by tightening up, pushing down, or disconnecting from what we feel. But Nepo invites us to do the opposite: to meet the world with a heart that is full, not hidden.To let our values, our tenderness, our curiosity, and our gratitude be the way we stay upright. It’s a radical kind of strength, one that doesn’t require armor.

As I move into this new year, I’m taking that invitation seriously. To pause long enough to notice what’s happening inside before reacting to what’s happening outside. To let small practices—lighting a candle, reading a paragraph that shifts my perspective, stepping outside to breathe Wyoming’s cold morning air—be the ways I keep my heart full. And when the world feels heavy or loud, to remember that humans have always found a way to try again. That sigh Nepo describes—the one that stretches back through centuries—feels like a reminder that resilience isn’t about force. It’s about returning to ourselves, again and again, and meeting the day from that place. It’s an invitation to show your soul to the world.

✨ Mindful Moments: ✨

As we move through these early weeks of the year, I hope you find small ways to let your inner world meet the outer one with steadiness and intention. Not through grand resolutions or rigid expectations, but through the quiet practices that keep your heart full—pausing before the day sweeps you away, noticing what matters, tending to what’s tender, and returning to yourself when things feel off‑center. The world will keep being the world, with all its noise and beauty and contradiction. But we get to choose how we meet it.

May this season invite you to breathe a little deeper, listen a little closer, and trust that each time you begin again, you’re strengthening something essential. Here’s to a year shaped not by pressure, but by presence.

  • For today – notice what matters. A kindness for others? A kindness for yourself? Empathy? A deep breath? 
  • What value do you want to carry with you today?

Erin Taylor Coach Offerings

As a certified leadership coach, I utilize an assortment of proven industry-recognized energy and leadership assessments including:

EQi 2.0-Emotional Intelligence Assessment – one of the most scientifically validated Emotional Intelligence instruments on the market today. The Hogan Assessment – a powerful tool designed to evaluate personality in the workplace, offering deep insights into leadership potential, interpersonal skills, and career development.

View My Offerings

A Mindful Year’s End… in a Galaxy Not So Far Away 

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Every December, as the year winds down and the Wyoming wind kicks up, my family leans into one of our most beloved traditions: watching the entire Star Wars saga from start to finish. Yes—all of them. Lightsabers, Wookiees, questionable galactic politics (funny how much of it echoes today’s political scene), and the eternal struggle between fear and presence. It’s a marathon of nostalgia, popcorn, puzzles, and the occasional debate over the correct order to watch them in.

But somewhere between Yoda’s wisdom and the hum of the Millennium Falcon, I’m reminded that Star Wars is, at its core, a mindfulness manual wrapped in space opera.

So, as we close out the year, I thought I’d share a few mindful lessons from the galaxy far, far away—lessons that might help us step into the new year with clarity, courage, and a little more ease.

This isn’t about perfectionism. It’s about presence. When we commit to something—resting, setting boundaries, taking a walk, saying no—we can do it with intention rather than half‑energy or guilt. Mindfulness invites us to show up fully, even in small moments, especially in small moments.

Fear is the path to the dark side… but awareness is the path back.

Fear, stress, and overwhelm aren’t signs we’re failing—they’re signals. When Luke rushes into battle fueled by fear, things unravel. When he pauses, breathes, and reconnects with his values, he finds his way. Mindfulness doesn’t eliminate fear; it helps us notice it without letting it drive the ship.

As we wrap up the year, consider: 

What fear-based habits can I release 

What choices feel aligned with who I’m becoming 

This one feels like it was written for modern life. Our attention is our most precious resource. Where we place it—on gratitude, on connection, on what we can control—shapes our experience of the world.

Even the Rebellion needed rest.

One of the most underrated themes in Star Wars is recovery. Between battles, the heroes rest, repair droids, share meals, and reconnect with their people. They don’t hustle nonstop. They honor cycles. They begin again.

As you move into the new year, may you give yourself permission to: 

– Recharge without apology 
– Celebrate small wins 
– Step back when needed 
– Trust that rest is part of the mission

A New Hope (for You) 

The end of the year is a natural invitation to tidy up—your space, your thinking, your relationships, your energy. Not with pressure, but with curiosity. What do you want to carry forward? What can you set down?

As my family settles in for another round of lightspeed jumps and Jedi wisdom, I’m reminded that mindfulness isn’t about escaping to another galaxy. It’s about noticing the one we’re already in—messy, beautiful, unpredictable, and full of possibility.

May the Force—and your inner calm—be with you as we step into a new year.

✨ A mindful practice for the new year: 

Choose one moment each day to pause and ask,
“What am I focusing on right now?”

If it’s not serving you, gently shift.

Erin Taylor Coach Offerings

As a certified leadership coach, I utilize an assortment of proven industry-recognized energy and leadership assessments including:

EQi 2.0-Emotional Intelligence Assessment – one of the most scientifically validated Emotional Intelligence instruments on the market today. The Hogan Assessment – a powerful tool designed to evaluate personality in the workplace, offering deep insights into leadership potential, interpersonal skills, and career development.

View My Offerings

Practicing Gratitude: An Annual Invitation (and a Daily Gift)

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Practicing Gratitude: An annual invitation and a daily gift

Last November, I told you how my family returns to a beloved tradition we call our “thankfuls.” It’s a simple ritual—colorful 2×8 inch cardstock, a few Sharpies, and a basket in the kitchen—but it anchors us in something profound: the practice of noticing and naming what we’re grateful for.

Throughout the month, we aim to jot down one thankful each day…ish. Some are lighthearted (hockey, dog walks, a no-wind day in Wyoming), while others reflect deeper appreciation for each other’s presence, humor, or quiet strength. On Thanksgiving, we read them aloud. We laugh. We cry. Sometimes the food gets cold. And somehow, even with the usual procrastination, the basket always fills.

After dinner, we link the thankfuls into a paper chain that wraps around our home for the holidays—a visible reminder of the love and gratitude we’ve shared. It’s colorful, sometimes sparkly, and always heartfelt.

This tradition isn’t just about November. It’s a yearly nudge to return to gratitude, to remember that even in the busiest seasons, we can pause and give thanks.

This year, my husband and I have added a new layer to our practice: each day, we tell one another something we appreciate about the other. It’s simple, intentional, and surprisingly powerful. Whether it’s a kind gesture, a moment of patience, or just showing up with a smile, naming our appreciation has deepened our connection and brought warmth to even the most ordinary days.

Whether you use cardstock or conversation, sticky notes or silent reflection, I invite you to join in this annual—and daily—practice. Let it be a reset, a reconnection, and a reminder that gratitude is always within reach.

Graphic that reads: Smart Things People Say: "Gratitude turns what we have into enough." - Aesop

Mindful Moments: The Wake of Gratitude

The One-Line Journal 📝

Each evening, write a single sentence that begins with “Today I’m grateful for…”
This practice is intentionally brief, making it sustainable even on busy days. Over time, it becomes a powerful archive of small joys, meaningful moments, and personal growth.

 Appreciation Exchange 💙

Invite a loved one, friend, or colleague to join you in a daily exchange: each person shares one thing they appreciate about the other. This can be spoken, texted, or written. It builds connection, strengthens relationships, and helps both people feel seen.

Gratitude Pause 🙏

Set a timer once a day to pause for 60 seconds. During that minute, take three deep breaths and mentally name three things you’re grateful for in that moment—no matter how small. This micro-practice trains your brain to notice goodness in real time and cultivates presence.

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Erin Taylor Coach Offerings

As a certified leadership coach, I utilize an assortment of proven industry-recognized energy and leadership assessments including:

EQi 2.0-Emotional Intelligence Assessment – one of the most scientifically validated Emotional Intelligence instruments on the market today. The Hogan Assessment – a powerful tool designed to evaluate personality in the workplace, offering deep insights into leadership potential, interpersonal skills, and career development.

View My Offerings

Practicing Gratitude

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Graphic that reads: "Practicing Gratitude"

During the month of November, my family embarks on an annual tradition of practicing gratitude. We call it our “thankfuls.” It’s my job to run to the craft store to pick up a few packs of 2×8-inch colorful cardstock and Sharpie markers. They are kept in the kitchen in a basket where we can access them.

The goal is to fill the basket with something we are grateful for every day…ish. We then take turns reading them out loud at our Thanksgiving dinner. Sometimes, they are about the little things like. These can be things like I’m grateful for hockey, a walk with the dogs, or a “no-wind” day in Wyoming. Yet, inevitably, we end up reading thankfuls for what we value and cherish in each other, highlighting others’ gifts and how much we treasure them. We cry. We laugh. Sometimes our food gets cold!  And while the week leading up to Thanksgiving, we joke about how much we all need to continue and get to writing, somehow, the basket always fills up.

This thankful tradition keeps giving long after the Thanksgiving holiday. We then make the thankfuls into a looped chain that dons the house in the holiday spirit for weeks to come. It’s colorful and sometimes sparkly, but we all know what’s written on those 2×8-inch cards – an annual practice of gratitude and much love!

Mindful Moments

For the coming month, take the time to find three things during your day for which you are grateful. There is power to putting pen to paper. Even simply noticing it mentally is enough to start a new habit.

Here are a few benefits to building a gratitude practice. (I will remind you that it’s called practice for a reason):    

  • Improved mental health through building positive emotions and reducing depression and anxiety
  • Enhanced relationships, through connection and communication
  • Better physical health through stress reduction, lowering blood pressure, strengthening immunity, and better sleep
  • Increased resilience by learning to cope and enhance your mental toughness
  • Heightened self-esteem by building a positive self-image and confidence
  • Being more present in the moment by shifting focus to what’s happening how
  • Increased empathy by learning to appreciate others
  • Building long-term happiness by learning to be more generous with others, building satisfaction and happiness within you

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