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Community Corner

Lynbrook Women Learn How to Create Balance in Their Lives

Life coach Karen McMahon holds workshop at Vineyard Church.

About 30 women filled the pews at in Lynbrook Thursday morning to participate in a workshop dedicated to helping women find balance in their lives.

Led by church member and certified life coach Karen McMahon, the three-hour workshop, entitled “How Balanced is your Life: Empowering Women to Thrive in Their Lives,” offered guidance for women feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the demands of everyday life.

“Today’s an opportunity for local women to come in and be able to step away from their hectic days,” McMahon said before the workshop began. “They can come to God and focus on things they wish they were able to do. I will give them some special tools so they can accept where they are now and get to where they want to be."

Before the workshop began, McMahon had the participants fill out what she calls a “Wheel of Life.” On it were eight sections of a person’s life, such as personal development, family/parenting, and career/profession. They were told to number from one to 10 how important each section was to them, then to circle the number from one to 10 to state where they feel they are in obtaining that. From that chart, women were able to develop an aspect of their life they would like to improve.

“All of the answers lie between you and God,” McMahon said. “Listen to your heart’s desire and create a plan.”

McMahon, an Oceanside resident, explained that the cost of imbalance in a person’s life is the emotions they bring to the surface, such as anxiety, pressure, exhaustion and guilt. These emotions might leave one feeling stuck, she said.

One such person was Carol Schmitt, a church member who took part in Thursday's workshop. Schmitt said she went back to school so she could pursue a new career. But despite graduating with exceptional grades two years ago, Schmitt said she has been unable to move herself forward. When McMahon asked her what she thinks about when thinking about taking that step, Schmitt said she feels afraid, like she "can’t do it."

But McMahon asked her to think about her situation in a positive way, and by the end of the workshop, Schmitt said, “I can do this. Now I feel peace and joy and excitement, not stuck.”

There were many similar stories told of being in a "stuck" place. McMahon showed the women tools for getting rid of the fear, including having them break into pairs to help each other create action plans for achieving their goals.

“The benefits of positive thinking are you feel more relaxed, excited, charged and motivated,” McMahon said. “They keys to creating an action plan are be specific, let it be measurable, let the goal be attainable and reasonable and be time-specific.”

The women worked on goals relating to their professional growth. Some worked on goals in their personal relationships, others on finding time for themselves in their busy day-to-day lives.

Like Schmitt, many women said they gained a lot of insight from the workshop.

“[McMahon] gave me steps in how to separate myself from my family and do my own thing,” said Cindy Laupheimer, a member of the church’s women’s group, which facilitated the event. “My life is wrapped around my family. I’m a mother and a grandmother. She is showing me how to make boundaries. It’s okay to say, ‘No, I can’t babysit today, I need a little time for me.'”

Church member Evelyn Sorensen said she has been writing a book for 10 years and just needs to put the finishing touches on it. Attending the workshop helped her realize that a scheduled writing time should be on her calendar, just like everything else, she said.

“When I have an appointment I put it on my calendar,” Sorensen said. “Well, I’m going to put time on my calendar where I’m going to work on my book.”

McMahon ended the workshop by pointing out that accountability is the glue that holds it all together. She urged the women to create a support team of positive people that will help you stick to your tangible plans.

McMahon is launching an eight-week women’s support group, in which women will work more on finding balance in their lives. The cost is $320. For more information, email Karen at Karen@karenmcmahon.com or call (516) 992-0828. You can also visit her website.

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