Hello 2013!

The dawn of a new year.

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope that you all had a wonderful holiday and were able to take some time to relax, reflect, and rejuvenate. 2012 is now officially behind us, but that doesn’t mean that it will stop affecting us. The changing of the year is the perfect time, symbolically, to contemplate your life experiences over the past twelve months and I’m sure that there are things both good and bad that will have an impact on how you move forward in 2013.

For many of you, large-scale events left quite the impression — Hurricane Sandy, the shooting tragedies, and the presidential election, just to name a few. Maybe you had your own personal large-scale events: a wedding, a new home, a change of career. For me, it was the birth of my daughter, Zoe, which had an impact on so many areas of my life (some anticipated, and some a complete surprise). These are the obvious game-changers — the chapter-definers that will forever stand out as major plot points in our life stories.

But, there are also the intangible game-changers; the small things (perhaps even the briefest of moments) that impact us on the most intimate level. A shift of perception; a newfound sense of clarity; a personal enlightenment that is unquantifiable. Such things are often not recognized immediately, but slowly revealed over time, eventually bringing to light a profoundness that is soul-shaking…life-altering.

I don’t know about you, but for me the Giving Challenge is a gateway to those tiniest of game-changers. I learn so much about myself that I’m truly surprised when all is said and done. What happens is that, in the end, participating in the challenge becomes one large gift…to me. It’s such a wonderful experience, and I hope that those of you who participated (in whatever capacity you could) felt something similar.

Speaking of the Giving Challenge, it’s my pleasure to announce the winners of our Challenge Giveaway:

• Shannon T. is the recipient of a 6-session private-coaching package with me
• Margaret C. is the recipient of the Artists In Action complete downloadable coaching program
• Kat V., Katja M., and Louise F. are the recipients of one private-coaching session with me

Congratulations to all of them, and a big thank you to those of you who took part in this year’s challenge — your comments and emails were truly inspiring! Once again, just because the challenge is over doesn’t mean that the giving has to stop. I encourage you all to keep it up in any way that you can. Trust me — in doing so, you’ll be consistently surprised by yourself and the world around you. It’s one small way to make 2013 a year to remember!

Goodbye 2012!

Nope, it’s not that kind of goodbye. We’ll be back in January!

Is it possible?? The 29-Day Giving Challenge ends tomorrow?? Yeesh! I don’t know about you, but this last month has flown by for me, which is somewhat of a testament to the power of this challenge — it was such a joy to do that it never felt like a chore. Pretty amazing stuff. Before I wrap up the blog for the year and head out for the holidays, I want to take a moment to recap the giveaway requirements, just so we’re all on the same page.

• If you haven’t already done so, make sure you share one of your gifts in the comments section of this blog by the end of the day tomorrow. You can do it at the bottom of any Challenge blog post (including this one), just make sure you get it in by the end of tomorrow evening.
• Email a list of all of your gifts to events@capesco.com by Tuesday, January 1st. You don’t need to go into detail for this list — a brief summary of each gift will do just fine. If you have gifts of a very personal nature, just do your best to get the idea across.
• To remain eligible to win any of the career coaching prizes, you must also submit a paragraph detailing why you think you would benefit from them. Simply include this at the bottom of your gift list email.

Sometime during the first week in January, we’re going to announce the winners of the coaching prizes.

As I did last year, I’m going to take some time over the next week to relax and reflect, and I want to encourage you to do the same. Think about not only what you learned from the Giving Challenge, but also what 2012 brought you personally and professionally. What resonated with you most? What are you most proud of? Where were you especially challenged? What lessons can you take with you into 2013? Once again, the trick here is to be open and understanding with yourself – this isn’t about regretting the mistakes you made or opportunities you missed. It’s about taking everything at face value, learning from the good and the bad, celebrating your successes, and knowing that it’s one chapter in a much larger story.

On a personal note, I just want to say that it’s been an absolute pleasure to take part in this challenge with you. As a new mother, I can tell you from experience how much the little things matter — presents are great (I’m a fan!), but since my daughter was born, the greatest gifts my husband and I have received have been a helping hand and the support of family and friends. Just reading over your comments throughout the past month has told me that you’re all discovering the same thing, and I hope that this is something that stays with all of us — being aware of how much of a difference we can make with the smallest gestures. It’s heartwarming, to say the least.

So, that’s it for me. Can’t wait to catch up with all of you in January! Enjoy the holidays and have a Happy New Year!

Generosity Everywhere!

Well, here we are a week into the Giving Challenge. How does it feel, so far? Does giving come easy to you? Is it difficult to think of something new each day? Have you noticed a shift in your daily perspective? I know — so many questions! But, that’s one of the great things about the challenge: it forces you to consider things that you might not normally think about. It is, after all, called a “challenge,” which in itself means that it should be an endeavor that pushes you and requires some bit of effort to complete.

One thing I’ve noticed from the comments coming in (great job, btw — keep ’em coming!!) is that it seems like people are realizing just how much the little things matter. When we talk about gifts and giving, the first thing that pops into most people’s head is a physical gift. A present. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love a good present! And I really love finding the perfect present for someone else. But given the season, you’re going to have all kinds of practice buying and getting those types of gifts. The beautiful thing about this challenge is that it’s given people the opportunity to understand just how wide the definitions of “giving” and “gifts” truly are. The small gestures count. And often times, they count the most.

Giving someone a hand with something when they’re not expecting it. A shoulder to cry on for someone who needs the support. A kind word to show someone how much you appreciate them. Holding doors. Giving up a seat on the subway. Donating those clothes you never wear. Calling the grandparent who simply loves to hear your voice. The list goes on and on and on — there really is no limit to these small but meaningful gestures. And it’s in them that you’ll find the spirit of this challenge.

NYPD Officer Lawrence DePrimo: inspiring generosity. Photo by John Marshall Mantel for The New York Times.

By now, many of you have probably already heard the recent story of the NYPD officer who committed a random act of kindness for a homeless man on a cold night in Times Square. If you haven’t, you can read about it here (I encourage you do to so). The act itself was so heartwarming and lovely, but the unintended benefit has been the way it’s touched hundreds of thousands of people and spurred numerous acts of generosity in its wake. That’s what this is all about — giving to inspire giving. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: it’s a circle that feeds itself and grows exponentially with each act of generosity. It’s infectious in the best possible way.

Before I head off to give my gift of the day, I want to switch gears briefly. I probably don’t have to remind you that there’s a giveaway at the end of this challenge, where you could win some fantastic career tools, including a private coaching package with me. Well, I thought it’d be great to hear from last year’s winner, Katherine, in her own words, on what the experience was like for her. Here’s what she had to say:

“A friend of mine knew I hoped to be a writer but didn’t know how to get started. He’d worked with Capes Coaching before and recommended them as a way to focus, to get support and encouragement from an expert. When I heard about the Giving Challenge, I was thrilled. The challenge itself was fun and meaningful — a way to help others during the frenetic holiday season and focus my energy in a positive way. The coaching sessions were also very useful; Betsy helped me craft a mission statement, goals, and methodology to my writing. As a coach, Betsy was knowledgeable and positive, telling me often that we could customize the sessions to fit my needs. I would absolutely recommended the Challenge to anyone — novice or expert — who needs a creative boost!”

It was a joy to work with Katherine, and I’m looking forward to working with this year’s winner. So, keep giving, make sure you comment on your gifts, and — who knows? — come January, you and I may be crafting your 2013 career plan!

Capes Coaching’s 29-Day Giving Challenge (2012)

I know, I know — it’s been a while. And, wow, a lot has happened in the meantime. On a personal level, I’m a new mom and it’s been one of the most amazing, beautiful, and — yes — tiring experiences of my life. My husband and I couldn’t have asked for a more precious gift than our daughter, Zoe, and our time with her has been an extraordinary adventure, so far. We can’t wait for everything that’s still to come.

On a larger scale, there was Hurricane Sandy, which affected my family directly, just as I’m sure it did so many of you. Being inside of a building that began flooding and lost power is scary enough, but it’s even more so when you have an infant (or two — my sister, Jodie, and her husband were with us, along with their baby daughter, Edie; both babies, I’m happy to report, were blissfully unaware of any compromising situation). We made it through safely, and the real issue became the lack of power following the storm. Those of you who experienced this know that it can really bring life into focus: you begin to understand how important certain things are that you take for granted, while other things show their true colors as pure luxuries. The upshot of such a bad situation was this: witnessing the kindness of humanity.

“What storm?” (Edie and Zoe, blissfully unaware…)

Everyday in the aftermath of the storm, I was touched by shear, selfless acts of generosity, and — even better — I know that such things occurred on a wide scale throughout the city and the other areas that were affected. Of course, it’s no surprise that tragic situations bring out the best in humankind. But here’s the best news: it can also happen any (and every) ordinary day. Proof? Our 29-Day Giving Challenge.

Last November and December, we did our first Giving Challenge and it was a resounding success. So much so that we couldn’t wait to do it again this year, which is why it gives me great pleasure to announce our 2012 29-Day Giving Challenge! For those of you who are new to the Challenge, here’s the story: the inspiration came from this NY Times article about Cami Walker, creator of the original 29-Day Giving Challenge. During a particularly difficult time in her life, Ms. Walker took the advice of her spiritual teacher to give something away each day for 29 days. During that time, she journaled daily about her experience, and by the end of the 29 days she noticed a radical shift in her emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual energy – a profound change that had an indescribable affect on her entire life. She’s been sharing her story ever since, inspiring people around the world to take up the torch and embrace their spirit of generosity. We decided to give it a go last year, and I can attest to the power of the experience. So, we’re doing it again and we want you to come along for the ride.

First, we’re going to exercise our giving muscles by giving away the following:

• One (1) 6-Session Private Coaching package (valued at $900), consisting of six 45-minute career coaching sessions with me via telephone
• One (1) Artists In Action Complete Downloadable Coaching Program (valued at $197); details of the program can be viewed here
• Three (3) Private Coaching sessions (valued at $125 a piece), consisting of one 45-minute career coaching session with me via telephone per winner

That’s right, five lucky participants who complete the challenge will win one of the above. How do you become one of the lucky five? Here are the details:

• The Capes Coaching 2012 29-Day Giving Challenge begins on Friday, November 23rd, and ends on Friday, December 21st.
• Register here to participate. (You MUST register to be eligible for the giveaway)
• Each participant gives one thing away each day for the entire 29 days. These “gifts” can take any form and can be as large or small as you like. The idea is to get creative. Physical gifts and money are obvious (and they certainly count here), but think about the less obvious ways to give: a phone call to a friend in need of support, helping someone carry their groceries, an email of encouragement, dog-walking, making dinner, texting a compliment, just listening to someone who needs it, crafting something, offering your seat on the subway/bus – there is no limit to what you can gift. If you can think it, you can do it.
• Log all of your gifts. Whether you write complete journal entries or just jot down what the gift was and who it was to, keep a log of them because this will be your proof of completing the challenge.
• If you miss a day or you begin the challenge late: don’t sweat it. We’d like you to make up for the missed days by giving multiple gifts on the remaining days of the challenge. This is where we differ from Ms. Walker’s original “rules,” and we do so because of the giveaway. But, staying in the spirit of things, we don’t want you to overthink this or to stress out about it – this whole challenge is about the spirit of giving, not the prize at the end of the road. Again, even the tiniest gestures count. Think back on your day to see if you actually gave something that you might not have been aware of in the moment.
• To remain eligible for the giveaway, you must return to this page at least once during the challenge to share with us (in the comments below) one of your gifts. We’d love for you to come back as often as you like – the more examples we get, the better. Just make sure you do it at least one time.
• Once the challenge ends on December 21st, email a list of all 29 of your gifts to events@capesco.com, along with a short paragraph detailing how you feel you would benefit from winning one of the career coaching prizes we’re giving away. We know that this is a VERY busy time for many of you, so we’re giving you an extra week to email us; however, we MUST receive your email no later than January 1st, 2012.
• Sometime during the first week of January, five eligible participants will be chosen as the recipients of the giveaway prizes (based on their emailed paragraph).

Let’s do a Cliff’s Notes version, just for the sake of simplicity:

• Challenge runs from 11/23/2012 – 12/21/2012.
• Register here.
• Give one thing away each day for 29 days.
• Log your gifts.
• If you miss a day, or come to the challenge late, make up those missed gifts during the remainder of the challenge.
• Stop by this page at least once and comment on one of your gifts.
• Email a list of your 29 gifts and a paragraph about how you feel you would benefit from a coaching package to events@capesco.com no later than 01/01/2013.
• Feel proud that you completed the challenge, and maybe you’ll hear from us during the first week of January…

As I did last year, I’m going to be blogging about my experience along the way — I just may be doing so with a baby in my lap 🙂  Again, I’d love to hear from anyone who wants to share their experience as well, so please don’t be shy – use the comments section below! And, if you know of anyone who you think would be interested in taking part in the challenge, pass along the info – the more people get involved in this, the bigger the difference!

Of course, I don’t want to head off without wishing everyone here a Happy Thanksgiving! After the last month, I remember more than ever what I’m thankful for, and having the opportunity to do this challenge, once again, with all of you is absolutely on that list. So, enjoy the holiday, remember what you’re thankful for, and get ready to start giving!

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For additional guidelines, visit the official 29-Day Giving Challenge website.