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A Life of Passion, Purpose, and Fulfillment

If you’ve read other posts of mine and seen me say that I’m a coach, raise your hand. What about if you’ve ever wondered what that means or what coaching even is? If your hand is already up you can just raise it higher.

Well, wonder no more because today is all about sharing more broadly with you what I’m most passionate about – coaching!

For those who don’t know me yet or don’t know me well, my name is Taryn Hewett and I’m the owner of Happy Thoughts Coaching. I’m a certified professional coach dedicated to helping people live with passion, purpose, and fulfillment.

I’m also a successful Total Rewards Director which, for most of you translates to a human resources leader in the benefits and compensation space. I’m also happily married, the mother of two adorable fur babies, a half marathon runner (on the way to a full marathon), a writer, a baker, a reader, and the owner of a pretty fabulous bucket list wall (if I do say so myself).

I share all of that because each piece of it – my family, my corporate role, my business – all of it is fundamental to ME living my life with…you guessed it…passion, purpose, and fulfillment.

But it wasn’t always this way. In fact, before I discovered coaching, every few months, I’d find myself in this sad, miserable place of not knowing my place in the world, the impact that I was supposed to have, or what I was really meant to be doing. It felt like I was missing a pivotal part of who I was. I didn’t realize it at the time, but this lack of direction was negatively impacting other areas of my life too, like my career, my marriage, and my health.

Coaching changed all of that for me and helped connect me to what was missing which, ironically, turned out to be…coaching!

Once I realized that my purpose was coaching and helping other people solve these same problems, it was like coming home to the place I’d always belonged. I felt fulfilled, excited, and I had renewed energy to dedicate time to all the other areas of my life. Not only that, but I started to dream even bigger. If I could solve this major challenge, what else could I tweak or change to fill my life and the lives of those around me with more passion and purpose? The options were and are limitless.

So, what is coaching, you ask?

Coaching is a dynamic partnership where I help you navigate the hurdles you’re facing in your life by bringing awareness to how your thoughts and emotions are influencing your results. As a certified professional coach, I am trained to help you use that new awareness to make informed decisions and create personalized action items to move forward and achieve your greatest goals!

My coaching focuses on fully embracing every aspect of who you are and what you’re truly meant to do in this life. I help you cultivate an exciting life without limits, that’s full of joy and fulfillment. And you know what’s so amazing about that? The happier and more fulfilled you are, the more joy and inspiration you bring to everyone around you and the better able you are to support them. It’s a powerful ripple effect with amazing possibilities! 

But how do you know if coaching is right for you? If:

  • All of that sounds incredible but also unattainable.
  • You just feel stuck and don’t know what to do to move forward.
  • You don’t know what you want, but you know you need a change or you want “more.” Or,
  • You’ve been trying to achieve change or a significant goal but haven’t seen the progress you want.

If any of those ring true, then coaching might be right for you. Now, that being said, it takes a very special person to truly benefit from coaching. You have to be:

  • Eager to make a change now
  • Ready to do the work required to change the results you’re currently getting.
  • Willing to be 100% honest with yourself and me so we can both really dive in to what’s holding you back.

If this sounds like you and you’re ready for change then let’s connect and make it happen! There are so many ways to reach me:

  • If you’re so ready for change that you need to talk TODAY then shoot me a text at (719) 641-7854 and we’ll jump on a call.
  • Busy today but you want to chat? Check out my calendar and schedule a consultation.
  • Eager to hear more about coaching and get in-depth tricks and tricks to find your own passion and purpose? Subscribe to my blog – Treasure Trove of Happy Thoughts.
  • Not sure right now, but you love the idea of living with joy and fulfillment and want a little more of that in your life? Join my Facebook Group – Treasure Trove of Happy Thoughts.

I’m in the process of ramping my blog back up so you can expect to hear from me through here at least monthly. In the Facebook group, you’ll hear from me several times a week as I share content to brighten your day and help you cultivate the life you want.

Now, there’s one other possibility here. Maybe you’re reading this and you have everything you need but this made you think of someone you know and love who could use this kind of help. I invite you to share these resources because you never know when something as simple as a quick share can make a huge difference. There have been plenty of times in my life where I know I would have appreciated it.

Beyond that, just remember, we may not always be able to control the events and circumstances in our lives, but how we react to those circumstances and how we choose to let them impact our lives is entirely up to us. If something in your life seems off, you have the ability to change it, even if it doesn’t always feel that way. I have total faith in you. 🙂

I don’t know about you but, to me, that realization is definitely a happy thought!

Happy Thoughts #20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, & 26

If you can’t tell by the title, the last week has been crazy! It’s also a great reminder for how quickly time can fly.

I’m excited to say that my delay in posting is all for good reasons. This past weekend I attended a coaching workshop weekend – the last in my coaching certification – that was truly inspiring, educational, and an overall wonderful experience. My lack of posting leading up to and following that was due to needing to shuffle my schedule a bit to accommodate the workshop.

Like so many things in life, I found myself faced with a choice – try to post daily or save my sanity and focus my attention on the workshop. As much as I love my blog posts, I love my sanity just a teensy bit more. 😊

BUT, as always, just because I didn’t post, doesn’t mean I didn’t think. Sooo, without further ado, here are my happy thoughts from the last week:

Happy Thought #20 – Aaah Yoga

I’ve recently picked my workout routine back up with a vengeance and this was yoga day. Don’t get me wrong, I love me a nice, hard workout, but there is something special about a nice, meditative, stretchy yoga routine after several days of pushing hard.

Happy Thought #21 – Checking in with My Nieces

I got to have a wonderful text exchange with my beautiful nieces in California (ages 11 and 9). I even got a “muah” kiss from one of them. Can’t beat that. 😊❤️

Happy Thought #22 – Seeing Familiar Faces

One beauty of my coaching certification is seeing so many of the same incredible people joining me in the program. Today, the first day of my workshop, I got to reconnect with a ton of lovely people.

Happy Thought #23 – Motivation by Inspiration

Have you ever had one of those days where you’re so inspired by an idea that you can see all the possibilities laid out before you? That was this day. Ever since then, my brain has been swirling with plans, ideas, and action items I’m chomping at the bit to get started.

Happy Thought #24 – Bucs Win!

The Buccaneers are going to the big game! As a Tampa resident, it doesn’t get better than that. 😊

Happy Thought #25 – Virtual Birthday Happy Hour

I had a blast celebrating a friend’s birthday through a virtual happy hour! Bonus: it got unexpectedly crashed by another friend, which made it even more fun.

Happy Thought #26 – This Post!

I’m happy to be getting caught up with my wonderful readers.

What’s your happy thought today?

Happy Thought #19 – Thinking Slow, Moving Fast

Do you ever find yourself with so many things on your to-do list that you’re not sure where to start? Every time you start thinking about tackling one item, another comes to mind, and then another, until you suddenly realize that 30 mins or an hour has gone by and you haven’t crossed anything off your list.

Well, I’m right there with you, my friend! I can practically see all my priorities dancing around my head, each demanding attention.

That being said, my happy thought is that I CONQUERED that feeling today.

I saw the warning signs last night. As I was going to bed, I started getting a sense of anxiety about everything on my work plate today. Immediately, “old” solutions came to mind – the kind that no longer fit into the life I want for myself. Thoughts like:

  • Maybe I should skip my morning workout and start work early.
  • You know what? I’ll just eat breakfast at my desk and work at the same time, it’ll be fine.
  • I know I said I’d start taking a lunch break, but maybe this isn’t the day to start it.

By the way, all of those things (working out, actually taking a lunch break, etc.) are all habits I’ve been trying to build which means they were easy targets.

BUT I did not give in! Those new habits connect strongly with my values, so I wanted to keep them a priority. So, I slowed down my racing thoughts and tackled the concern head on:

  • I made a plan for the day, being sure to include my non-work goals.
  • I made note of the items I was most concerned about so I could prioritize them.
  • I actually worked my to-do list in order and brought myself back on track every time I started to get distracted.
  • Every time that overwhelmed feeling tried to break through, I slowed down, took a deep breath, and reminded myself to work my plan.

Not only did I absolutely kill my to-do list, I actually had a pretty quiet, stress-free day – probably due to all that deep breathing! 😊

If you find yourself facing similar “noise” in different areas of your life, shoot me an email at taryn@treasuretroveofhappythoughts.com. I’d love to help!

Now, all that being said, what’s YOUR happy thought today?

Happy Thought #17 – The Gift of Presence

In our fast-paced world, it’s ridiculously easy for our minds to be scattered. Our brains are incredible, problem-solving machines and, if we let them, they’ll jump from one task or problem to the next, without taking a moment to pause.

Personally, I have a love-hate relationship with that mental efficiency. It has undoubtedly served me well over my life. But there is also tremendous beauty and value in the ability to take that pause and be fully present in the moment.

Today, was a day that I can say I was fully present and that mindfulness brought me so much joy, which is obviously why it’s my happy thought.

What does it mean to be fully present? To me, it means giving all of your attention to what’s happening in the moment. In doing so, you’re able to recognize, appreciate, and contribute to the little details that make up a moment or series of moments.

Here are some simple observations that came from being more mindful today:

  • During my run this morning, I found myself paying attention to my muscles and breathing. I felt proud and powerful as I recognized them working hard but still going.
  • In my post-run stretch, I realized how much I really LOVE stretching after a run and giving those muscles a break, something that I used to have very little patience for.
  • In a discussion with my husband, I truly listened to what he was saying, rather than assuming I knew what he’d say, and we had a wonderful conversation.
  • After eating healthy all day I found myself reflecting on how great I felt physically.

Having all of these observations makes me realize how much I want to do all these things more. Being present gives me a satisfying result even after a relatively small action. Which raises an interesting question:

How much more likely would we be to stick with challenging actions (ex: eating healthy, listening respectfully to others, etc.) if we could find joy in those individual actions rather than the benefit we’re seeking down the road (ex: losing weight, building unity, etc.)?

It makes me realize how impactful being present can really be. Amazing!

If you’re reading this and think you’d like to try being more present or mindful but you’re not sure where to start, here are a few tips:

  • It sometimes takes practice, especially if you’re used to moving a mile a minute.
  • It can be helpful to set your intention in advance so that you’re actively focusing your thoughts.
  • Oftentimes just slowing down and taking a breath can bring you more into the moment.

Hopefully your attempts bring you to as many joyful moments as mine have.

For now, though, what’s your happy thought for today?

Happy Thoughts #14, 15, and 16

I hope everyone is having a fantastic weekend! Mine has been fairly easy-going so far, although I’m obviously a little behind on my posts. Time to catch up! 🙂

Happy Thought #14 – Being Okay with Imperfection

This thought came from this past Thursday – the first of my missed posts. Funnily enough, the fact that I didn’t post is my happy thought. I had all the best intentions to, but a few unexpected things came up and I gave myself permission to not complete my to-do list that day.

There’s so much value in setting goals and making plans, but I’m getting better at recognizing that there’s also value in being okay when those goals and plans get derailed.

Happy Thought #15 – Finding Joy in Work

Friday, I didn’t post because I ended up working longer than expected. Again, funnily enough that was my happy thought for the day. You see, I was working on a project that I got completely immersed in. I found myself enjoying it way more than I expected, so I completely lost track of time.

I’ll always take that kind of work! 🙂

Happy Thought #16 – Healthy Satisfaction

Now that the holidays are over, I’ve been working on getting to eating healthy. After all the snacks and desserts associated with the holiday, it’s been harder than I expected, even though I’m generally a fairly healthy eater.

Today, I took a different approach. Rather than trying to make good decisions in the moment throughout the day, I took time this morning to decide my food for the day. I logged it all in advance so I knew I’d be on track. I did have some moments of temptation but I told myself the decision had already been made, so each time I stuck with my original healthy choice.

Now that most of the day is done, I can say that I feel FANTASTIC and I’m so glad I stuck with my plan.

What’s your happy thought for today?

Happy Thought #13 – The Smells of My Neighborhood

I just finished an evening walk in my neighborhood where I had the pleasure of coming across some wonderful smells that brought a smile to my face:

  • Smoke from someone’s fireplace. Combined with the crisp, cold air, it brought me back to snowy winter nights growing up warm and comfy in front of the Fire.
  • BBQ from someone grilling. It made me remember happy memories grilling out with family and friends.
  • “Nana” smell. I don’t know what flower this is actually from but there’s a flower I pass by periodically in my neighborhood that always makes me think of my Nana, who passed away this time last year.

It was a simple ten-minute walk, but it made my evening.

What’s your happy thought today?

Happy Thought #12 – Seeing the Fruits of Your Labor

One of the biggest struggles many of us face, myself included, is enduring patience while working through changes that simply cannot happen overnight but instead require consistent time and effort to see results.

  • For the individual, this could be that weight they’ve been trying to lose for years.
  • For a corporate leader, this could be the culture shift they’ve been navigating.
  • For groups of people, this could be the social change they’ve been fighting for.

My happy thought today is how great it is to actually be able to see the fruits of that labor.

Now, that thought doesn’t come from anything as large or time-consuming as any of the examples above but it does come from an easy example that many of us can relate to – training a dog.

I have a 9 month old puppy (Indy) and one of my biggest issues has been taking him and our 10 year old dog (Buddy) for a walk.

Buddy LOVES walks so the moment he knows one is coming he goes crazy, which makes Indy go crazy. For a solid 5-10 minutes they’re usually a frenzy of fur and barking, running and jumping all over the place so it’s impossible to get a leash on them with any kind of sanity.

So a few months ago we started a training plan. They each had to sit before we’d put the leash on them and leave. It sounds simple enough but it has taken months of repetition to break through their excitement and train the puppy while also retraining an “old dog” – you know what they say about old dogs and new tricks. 😉

But, today…finally!…they got it. I grabbed the leash and, almost immediately, they both sat down. It was like a miracle!

It only happened because I kept working on it. It will only continue to work if I continue to reinforce it.

Again, this is nowhere near as big or time-consuming as the examples above or many other items many of you may be facing. But still, it was a nice reminder for me to keep working on what’s important to me, and hopefully it helps you remember that too!

What’s your happy thought today?

Happy Thought #11 – Feeling Productive

Today is the first day in about a week where I’ve actually felt like a productive human being – which makes that my official happy thought for the day. 🙂

It’s funny because you’d think that our happiest days are the days when we don’t have to work and we can relax and lounge all day to our heart’s content. Don’t get me wrong – I love those days too – but I’ve often found that the days I love the very most are the days where I actually feel like I accomplished something.

If anything, my biggest challenge can be in trying to accomplish TOO much. In that arena, today was pretty darn perfect. I’m other side of being sick, but still not fully recovered, so I gave myself permission to set less and smaller goals for my to-do list today and the result ended being a pretty perfect day of completing my list but while still having some energy left over.

What’s your happy thought for today?

Happy Thought #s 8, 9, and 10

My cold finally got the better of me so I’ve missed posting my last few happy thoughts. I haven’t missed making note of them, though. Time to catch up!

Happy Thought #8 – Leftover Christmas Lights

Last weekend, I packed up all of our Christmas decorations, except our Christmas tree and lights, which I just couldn’t get to. Friday was one of the worst days of this cold I’ve had and, on that day, I was so grateful the tree was still up. It was a bright, cheerful focal point right when I needed it.

Happy Thought #9 – Giving in to Rest

I have a notoriously hard time doing just one thing. Even when I’m watching TV, I tend to be writing, making grocery lists, etc. On Saturday, when I still wasn’t feeling great, it was challenging to multi-task like that, so I decided to give in to rest. I let myself relax on the couch and watch whatever shows or movies I wanted without distraction. It was really nice!

Happy Thought #10 – Clearing My Head

I’ve been kind of hard on myself this past week. It’s a difficult time at work got me to be sick. I’m normally someone who moves and thinks quickly but this last week I just couldn’t get my body or my brain to break through the fog of this cold.

I’m mostly feeling better now but today my brain was still muddied, this time by everything I need to catch up on. So I gave myself the gift of an afternoon walk and it was the best thing I could do for myself. Thanks to that walk, I’ve been able to clear my head so I can go into the work week ready to get back on track.

What’s your happy thought today?

Happy Thought #7 – Knowing You’re Not Alone

I’m still feeling under the weather, so this will be another short post.

Leading into the holidays, I was struggling particularly hard to keep everything together – my work obligations, chores at home, keeping in touch with loved ones.

The sum weight of 2020 made it difficult for me to give proper attention to details I normally care for most. The same weight settled on me yesterday evening and today.

The focus of my post today is not on the weight of those feelings but more on the observation of how often I’m seeing them reflected in others around me, as well. And how that observation has brought me some semblance of peace.

There’s a saying I very much dislike – misery loves company. Let me be clear, that’s not what I mean. I do not wish hardship or stress on anyone.

However, many of us, myself included, often feel alone in our difficulties. In that sense of isolation, we wonder what’s wrong with us? Why can’t we just get it together?

If that’s you right now, please know that you’re not alone. Let that knowledge give you peace. You, I, and all of us, have the capacity to work through everything that pains us.

If this IS you, and you think it could help to talk with someone, please email me. I would like to help how I can.