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When you see Cheryl Molenaar, it’s kind of hard to believe anything could get her down.
The smiley and bright Kelowna woman, who now works as a life coach, had some difficult times along the way.
“I have a severely disabled adult daughter and she is at a six-month level mentally,” She explained. “I’ve had a lot of years of trials and challenges in my life, and my husband’s life, that were very difficult.
“So we decided to shift our perspective from what wasn’t working and what was difficult, to what we could be grateful for.”
This goes beyond being thankful or grateful when something good happens. She says it’s all about being intentional, by taking time to focus on and think about the good in your life twice a day.
“It is a proven fact gratitude improves all kinds of areas in your life and I’ve seen that it’s really helped my clients as well,” Molenaar said.
When times were tough, Molenaars said they didn’t ignore what was going on, but instead looked for the good in it.
“Choosing to focus on gratitude in those days, really got me through,” Molenaar said, explaining that her kids have the same perspective. “We look back and say we made it together, as a family.”
The certified professional co-active coach, who owns her own business, CherylMCoach, and works out of the Third Space Foundation, has joined up with The Gratitude Project in Kelowna to spread this message. On October 17, she’s hosting an event, called Cultivating Joy with the Practice of Gratitude, free, at the Landmark 6 building.
In her practice, she said she works to move people forward, help them get unstuck and find out what they want to do with their life. A big part of that, is gratitude.
“Scarcity is everywhere in our society and it tells us that we’re not strong enough, thin enough, smart enough, rich enough, and that gets us focusing on what isn’t there,” she said. “Gratitude gets us focusing on what is there, what’s possible and it turns things into more than enough.”
“Many of us are looking for more joy and it doesn't come from more things, it comes from practicing gratitude more and shifting your perspective.”
To register for her event, visit the Eventbrite website.
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