JANET FOREST, CPC

I rescued Washington Irving’s collection of short stories, originally titled The Sketch Book, from the risky fate of our library’s Christmas book sale because it included “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and it was pretty with gold script on its leather binding. I also th...

“It’s fine. Really. It doesn’t bother me anymore. It’s not a big deal. Seriously, I’ve let it go.”

How many times have we heard someone say this? And how many times have you doubted the veracity of this statement? In fact, the only person, who is likely to believe it, i...

I have a confession…or maybe it is just a statement, but if you looked at the rest of my website, you’ll probably agree it is a confession.

I don’t have any long-term goals. Sure, I have my Big Picture Goal for 2019 (link to newsletter), but there’s nothing in the far d...

Am I old enough?

Am I too old?

What is the right age?

It all seems so arbitrary. Even the age restrictions that are official seem arbitrary. For instance, in Massachusetts you need to be 16 to get a driver’s license, 18 to vote, and 21 to drink. 

In Quebec, the drinking ag...

I have been spending the last two months revisiting my workbooks from my life coaching training and brushing up on tools and exercises that I haven’t done in a while. I came across one that hit me like a ton of bricks. It was a practice in noticing qualities in others...

It’s been observed by myself and others that I have a history of taking responsibility for things when it’s not necessary. It can be simple things like apologizing to store mannequins when I carelessly whack them with my bag, and more serious situations such as feeling...

There are three podcasts I have been listening to regularly, whose hosts are not people would probably enjoy hanging out with in real life, but I hang on their every word when I delve into an episode.

If I met them at a party or a bar, I would likely write them off at p...

If you go into a Dunkin’ Donuts and ask for a “small regular coffee,” you will be handed a small coffee with two creams and two sugars. No other instructions are required. Just those three words: small regular coffee. The rest of us weirdo coffee drinkers have to give...

If you spent this week putting one penny in the jar for each act of kindness you offered someone and took three pennies out when you had to say no or draw a line in the sand, how many pennies would be in your jar?

This concept was introduced to me in a webinar I watched...

There is a lot of safety in saying, “I can’t.” It is easy to validate, and it requires no risk or work on the part of person saying it.

A more honest statement is, “I choose not to because I don’t think I can.”

A braver statement is, “I don’t know if I can, but I’m going...