This is not one of THOSE New Year's posts

I want to say the first hello of 2012 and thank all of you who kindly visited my blog in 2011 and some who may have contributed a comment. You are greatly appreciated.

You may have noticed that I haven't written much lately. There were times in the past when that would have made me feel guilty, embarrassed or apologetic. These days, it just means I have had other things which required my attention and energy and I'm okay with that.

I find that, periodically, it's necessary to step back and take a look at what I'm doing and whether it's working, make adjustments and move forward again. This autumn, that type of reflection generated a realization that I needed a new creative outlet and different way of working. I gathered up all my dusty art materials and began painting again. I also began to teach art lessons to children. I started in September with 1 student, and now I have 12! I have also delivered my very first commissioned painting to a very happy client, which is something I have always dreamed of doing.

You may wonder why I am telling you this, when Your Great Life is largely about family-building, parenting and fertility. Even a life coach gets stuck sometimes. I have to remind myself to reflect and re-assess the way my life is going and take steps to improve it. Sometimes the impetus is necessity or opportunity, and other times it is another person whose objectivity reveals something I haven't recognized myself. In my case, it was all three. While moving my desk, bookshelves and various boxes into my new office, I came across my paintbrushes and various pads and canvasses. When my own children started asking when we could paint again, my initial reaction was that we didn't have the room and I didn't want the mess. However, the seed was planted and suddenly, I was itching to paint and the 3 of us were planning projects. A friend said she thought other children would love to participate as well and the idea was born. Room was found for the supplies, flyers were printed and the family routine was adjusted to accommodate after-school lessons.

One result of my tentative foray into art lessons has been a love of working with children, whose art often yields unexpected insight into their self-image and esteem. Far more important to me than whether they can draw a straight line, or even whether they are happy with what they have produced on any given day, is their willingness to try and fail as part of the creative process. While these particular children are not coaching clients, I am beginning to see how art can be a wonderful coaching tool.

It may be that during the next year, you find yourself in need of a change. Look at what nurtures you and opportunities to bring that back into your life. I'm having more fun than I have in a while and finding peace and fulfillment in my painting. I wish you as much.