Learn More about Lynda Cormier
My friend and co-founder & co-CEO at GIA Wellness, Lynda Cormier, teaches The 10 Greatest Gifts. Recently, Lynda posted one each day on social media. These are priceless gems and, if you incorporate them into your life and business, you will experience transformation. I want to share them here with you:
#1: Ask More Than Tell
These four words can change your life. It’s is one of the greatest gifts that we can give others as well as ourselves. As parents, leaders, coaches and business owners, we empower others by asking more than telling. And I don’t mean questions like -“Is it ok if I give you feedback?” More like “It sounds like you aren’t really happy with that result, what is one thing you may choose to do differently next time ?” They then come up with their own solution or idea- which in turn they will probably act on because no one likes to be told what to do. But we all like to act on our own ideas. Asking great questions and REALLY listening is one way to communicate with love, build trust and elevate others!
#2: Create Moments of Magic and Celebration
This is one of the most fun and effective ways to strengthen any relationship. Whether it’s at home or at work, creating moments of magic and celebration is really about making memories. I often connect this gift to the element of “Surprise”. For example, surprising someone with an unexpected handwritten card in the mail to express gratitude for a friendship NOT on a birthday. While big surprises are really fun, like an unexpected flower arrangement, or surprise visit to your daughter who is in college across the country. Simple moments of magic can be created all the time. For young children who hear “No” and “Please stop” all the time, try saying yes to having pancakes for dinner every once in a while. It’s a surprise moment, creates fun and makes memories that enrich relationships.
#3: Honor and Value Differences
It’s that simple. It doesn’t mean that you must take somebody else’s beliefs and accept them as your own. It means you respect people and recognize that when we are open to honoring the differences between us we may learn from one another. Also, when we seek to understand each other and value every human being equally, there’s really no room for judgment – only love. It means we see our place in the greatest of all teams, humanity, as a privilege and we nurture that team with understanding, compassion, love and service. We are all different sizes, shapes and colors in this beautiful garden of life. It’s our differences that make us captivating and beautiful.
#4: Give Others the Ball
When we pass the ball to a teammate it says “I trust you and believe you can take it from here.” With our children, colleagues, employees and teammates, we empower them when we not only say “I trust you” but show them you trust them with greater responsibility and have faith in their ability. It’s the skill of letting go and enlisting the whole team in the vision. It also says “I don’t need to be the one to score,” giving others the opportunity to discover their gifts, to shine and grow while creating an environment that you expect them to do their best. IF they do make a mistake, they learn from it and move on.
#5: Give Credit and Take Responsibility
As a leader, one of the most empowering things you can do is give credit to your team when something goes right – and to take full responsibility if something doesn’t go right. If you are a coach, a teacher, a mom or working with people in any capacity and want to lead, giving credit to others goes a very long way. When we don’t need to feed our own ego by claiming that a good result is because of us and recognize that it’s because of the entire team and give credit to them, we inspire our team. Most people have a really hard time taking responsibility for something when the outcome isn’t what we really wanted or desired. NO BLAMING OTHERS. Admitting a mistake or that we could’ve done something better is hard, especially because many people have a lifetime of trying to exceed others’ expectations. But admitting that we are fallible and taking responsibility for a less-than-desired outcome so that our team doesn’t feel at fault for everything is critical in leadership and team building.
#6: Be Fully Present for Your Purpose
In order to be fully present for your purpose, you have to know what your purpose is – and sometimes it changes as we evolve. That’s a great thing! Discovering your purpose happens, I think, as you discover your gifts, discover your extraordinary, and serve the world with your grace and your greatness. I feel blessed that my professional purpose intersects perfectly with my personal purpose: to inspire transformation, joy, be an example of love to others, and to encourage people to open their mouth and their heart at the same time so that they speak and communicate with compassion and authenticity. Also to bring a perpetual legacy of growth, inspiration and abundance to as many people as possible. When you are present for your purpose, magic happens all around you because you become aware of the opportunities that exist daily to serve you. This accelerates the manifestation of your purpose.
#7: Receive with Joy and Celebration
When we receive with joy, we are actually giving the gift of giving. Every single one of us knows how excited we are to give somebody we love a special gift. We look forward to seeing the delight in their eyes, that smile and to feel that our gesture brought happiness. Imagine bringing somebody a gift and, as you hand them the beautifully wrapped box with the big bright bow, they look at you and say, “No thanks, I don’t need it.” As women, I know sometimes when somebody pays us a compliment or tells us that we look nice we deflect the compliment or play it down “oh these old shoes, I got them on sale years ago.” We don’t just embrace it and say thank you and “I love them too!” Allow yourself to receive with open arms. The world is constantly trying to shower us with blessings and if our arms are not open to receive we might miss them – and we may unintentionally offend that amazing source of love or whoever is trying to gift us. If the world or someone wants to give you something, then receive enthusiastically and remember in doing so you are giving THEM the gift of giving. You give that person the joy of gifting you and the beautiful cycle continues. It is in giving that we receive and in receiving with joy that we give back.
#8: Live with Extraordinary Energy
We can ignite our energy my moving, by loving and by living on purpose – setting your intention to elevate the energy of the people around you, your family, your team by YOUR example. One of the coolest moments is when we realize we actually do have control over our energy. It ain’t like the weather where we may wonder the temperature will be like. We can choose to elevate our energy and simply move, dance, walk, spin around or do a jumping jack. Movement creates energy. So when we feed our bodies with good, clean food and fuel our heart and mind with inspiration, we can enrich the lives of others through our loving, energetic example. We are productive and on task in every area of life. We cannot give away what we don’t have. Love and energy are beautifully infinitely expansive
#9: Be Fully Present
To be fully present, in as many moments as possible, is truly the greatest gift you can give to yourself as well as others. When you are fully present for others, you are 100% with them in mind, body, spirit, and soul. You listen with your whole self. We all know what it feels like when somebody looks over our shoulder to see who is coming behind us while we are in the middle of a conversation. We know what it feels like when people are not fully present, especially in this day and age, with everyone picking up their phone every two seconds to read a text or send a text or respond to a bing. One of our greatest birth rights is to take personal responsibility to be fully present. The only way to serve somebody is to be fully present for them. The best way to serve ourselves is to be fully present in every precious moment. Be fully present in every moment of your life as if it’s your job and I promise you every day becomes brighter, every relationship becomes deeper, and every moment feels and is precious.
#10: Express Love, Joy and Appreciation
In every single opportunity that you have open your mouth and your heart at the same time. What good does it do to feel love, feel joy, and to feel appreciation if you don’t share it? How does it serve anyone by keeping that inside? Say thank you often, say I love you whenever you feel it, and smile and express the joy you feel so that the world is inspired by your example. We were not put on this planet to play solitaire. We were put on this planet to connect. It is the greatest gift when you open yourself up and share the love you have. It will be reciprocated tenfold. BUT… that is not why you do it. You do not give in order to receive. You give your presence, your love, your joy, and your gratitude just because you can. It is the stuff of life. It is what makes life grand, exquisite, and extraordinary. Bestow the grace you have on others and experience magic.