Jayn Stillson Financial Coach

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Contact me at: Jayn Stillson 781-665-0895 Email: Jayn@Jaynyk.com
Po Box 760893, Melrose, MA 02176 www.Jaynyk.com


February 1, 2010 - The month of love...(it's the best month !!!).... Although it's most commonly thought of as the holiday for romantic lovers, the best part about the holiday is that it really applies to love of any kind. Along those lines, I found a long-lost friend on the internet last week. Someone who I love dearly and I've missed very much. She gave me this heart rock when she moved away from Santa Barbara many years ago. We kept in touch for awhile, but when she moved again, I lost track of her. I've googled her several times over the years but when I tried again last week, her new website showed up. What an unbelievably wonderful thing for me to have her come back into my life; I am beside myself with joy and gratitude. And just to add ice cream to the cake, I believe that another not-so-forgotten friend is coming back into my life. Our relationship has been strained for the past several years, but I sent her a birthday card last month and let her know how much I've missed her, and I received a card back from her the other day with her new email address. A two-fer of love...lucky me. So, I'll end this month's blog with massive wishes of love for you and yours. May someone reach out and touch your heart or viceversa. Happy Valentine's Day...j


January 6, 2010 - My baby brother's birthday...Happy Birthday Bobby ! My husband took this photo from our dining room window. We're fairly obsessed with watching the squirrels in our back yard forage for food under the snow. Aren't they supposed to have stored all of their food months ago ??? I don't get it. But the truth is that there are hundreds - and I do mean hundreds (if not thousands) - of acorns under the snow out there. It was truly unbelievable how many acorns our tree dropped in the fall. Great for the squirrels, but why they didn't put them away before the snowfall is beyond me. Perhaps it's a sign of the times - > even the squirrels aren't saving anymore. They've grown so accustomed to food being readily available that they don't plan for the winter...Very interesting. But what is most interesting is that there is plenty of food for them - They just have to dig a little deeper and work a little harder for it...Sound familiar??? Let me take this opportunity to wish you all a Happy New Year ... I'm extremely hopeful about 2010 and love the new energy that each new year brings. I'm excited about my plans for my coaching business this year and am looking forward to what's coming, beginning with the New Year, New You ! event I'm doing in Newport, Rhode Island on January 23. (There's still room if you're interested.) On the other hand, all of my horoscopes have encouraged me to begin slowly this year - ease into it - and I'm loving that the universe is giving me that opportunity. And so I'll end this month's blog by encouraging you to find a pace that allows you to stop and watch the wonders that are occurring in your back yard. It's amazing what you will see when you take a minute to look. Best Wishes for 2010, jayn


December 9, 2009 - Yup...It's a heart-shaped potato chip. I guess it would've made more sense for me to have a holiday photo for this month's blog, but I just couldn't resist sharing this photo. How often does one come across a nearly-perfect heart-shaped potato chip ? Not that often...And for the record, I did eat it after I took the photo ... (what else could you do with it really ??? ) The holidays...so much energy, activity and emotion packed into just a few weeks. There's shopping, decorating, socializing and the delightful excitement of my neighborhood children, not to mention that my husband loves Christmas. It took me several years to open up to his enthusiasm for Christmas decorating, because I'd never done it before. Christmas was always filled with obligation resulting in anger and frustration, and I'm incredibly grateful to my husband for showing me the joy of holiday decorating. I was driving home yesterday noticing the ever-growing holiday decorations and thinking that people who decorate tend to be happy people. I concluded that part of the reason that we enjoy the holiday decorations so much is because the positive energy of the decorator shows through. What a treat... And so, with the last blog of 2009, I wish you the love of amazing friends and family, trust that all is well and hopes for a new year that will bring all that you desire to you and yours...Happy Holidays...j


November 2, 2009 - Howdy Howdy...Hope everyone had a great Halloween. It's one of my favorite holidays, and it was such a "treat" to have it fall on a Saturday. We all gather in my neighbors' front yard & he shows It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown on a big screen. It's kinda like a drive-in movie -> way fun...I know that we're building memories that the neighborhood kids will cherish forever and I love being a part of it. Well, I'm just beginning my third week of recovery from surgery. It turned out that I needed less surgery than anticipated, resulting in less hospital time and a shorter recovery. (yaay) I thought I'd include photos of the flowers that I received, just because they were so incredibly beautiful and wonderfully thoughtful. They even photographed well ! (so gorgeous !) (Thank you...) I'm totally bored and lonely and can't wait to get back to work...I'll be easing back in over the next week or two and am excited about the holiday season that's upon us. It feels a little early, but I'll leave you with a wish that your Thanksgiving bring much love and joy and that you have many things in your life to be thankful for. Happy Holidays, jayn


October 1, 2009 - There's lots going on here at Jaynyk...I know it's the wrong time of year to launch a new golf business, but I spent the summer "coaching" a friend on the golf course and realized how much experience I have to share. My goal is to spend next summer on the golf course and get paid to do it. As we say in our coaching group, I'm am totally having a "trouble at the border" experience as I swing back and forth from total excitement to doubts and fears...I know it's crazy, but just crazy enough to work...FYI, I'm also extending my services to include business coaching, not just financial. I realized how much I enjoy talking with people about their businesses and look forward to supporting them as they move to the next level. On the other hand, if you're ready to move on to something else, we can work on that as well... This is big month for me - Surgery for diverticulitis scheduled for the 19th. My biggest fear is that something will go wrong & I'll head for the great beyond. And I know that you're thinking, "that's unlikely," but one of neighbors went in for knee surgery last week and didn't make it back...wicked scary & I'm totally dreading it. But as of right now, it's on and I'm looking forward to getting it done & moving forward... So...Happy October - They say that the fall colors are going to be spectacular this year. Although the pervasive attitude is that we got robbed out of a summer and winter is coming at us way too fast, October always has the challenge to simply enjoy it's beauty rather than anticipate what's coming afterwards...Me...I've got my eye on April 2010 - golf season ...yaay...(and maybe a little Palm Springs in February will help get me there...) See you on the flip side, j


September 1, 2009 - My husband and I came home today to find the neighborhood girls "chalking" their sidewalk. This is what it looked like from my third floor window when they were done:

Way cool...
Ok...so it's Sept. 1. Most of the kids have headed back to school and the temperature in the morning hours has dropped significantly. Pretty much anyone you talk to in the area will complain about the fact that we had very little summer. It just doesn't take much to get us going on that. And who would blame us. The sun had just come out and the rain had finally stopped and now it's pretty much over. Whatever... I wouldn't be a proper Bostonian if I were to write this month's message without mentioning the passage of Ted Kennedy. I was thinking today that it really almost felt like we'd lost a member of the family. Being from Massachusetts and spending all of my childhood summers on Cape Cod ... well, the Kennedys have just always been there. And what a life. Thank you Teddy - We're gonna miss you...j

My Dad, George Garabedian Krasco (second from right)

August 14, 2009 - Ok...so I realized just last night that it was mid-August and I hadn't yet written my blog for Aug 1. I guess that's why they call them the lazy, crazy, hazy days of summer...Time just gets away from you.

I decided to use this photo this month in honor of golf and my Dad, George Garabedian Krasco. He's the second from the right. I have no idea who the other guys are -- They could be his regular foursome or guys he just hooked up with for the day. It was taken in August, 1956 - I wasn't even born yet, and my mother was pregnant with my older brother, Jim (who also is also an amazing golf addict)...

I never had the opportunity to play golf with my Dad, but I frequently feel his presence with me when I'm on the golf course. I played with my nephew Nick yesterday and thought about how much my Dad would've enjoyed playing with him. That's the wonderful thing about golf; players of all ages and skill levels can go out and spend the afternoon together. I look at this photo and wonder if any of the other guys are still alive. If they are, I hope they're still out there on the course, playing with their grandkids...Happy golf season...j

17th hole at Mt. Hood Golf Course in Melrose, MA

July 1, 2009 - Summer...Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay... This is the 17th hole at Mt. Hood Golf Course in Melrose, MA -> The white tees, which I hadn't ever hit from prior to this day. It was one of those awesome surprise days when you find yourself out on the golf course when you hadn't planned on being there, with a great friend from out of town as a bonus treat. I had a blast. And by the way, I hit an awesome tee shot, put my 2nd shot near the green & pared the hole. You can't ask for much more than that in terms of a great time on the golf course; as you can see, the weather was a little cloudy and we had the place to ourselves. Just the best....

The entire month of June was pretty much like this. I believe we had "officially" 3 days where the weather was described as "mostly sunny." There's a lot of complaining about the weather going on, so I'm not gonna do it. It's not snow, sleet or hail. There's no flooding, earthquakes, devastating fires or mudslides. So we're good as far as I'm concerned. We're looking at a decent forecast for the 4th of July weekend and I've got my foursome set up - Life is good...Happy Summer...

My front yard on May 1 - Spring is finally springing...

June 4, 2009...Ok...so I missed May...What a busy month. Two trips - one to Newport, RI to celebrate my 50th birthday and a second to Sacramento for a coaching class...Throw "life" into the mix and I didn't get my monthly blog done...sorry...On the positive side, I enjoyed both trips and we're done with winter (yaay!)...The best news though is that today is the first day of golf season for me. I've been out a couple of times, but the league starts today, and I am thrilled to have found a new group of ladies to play with. The weather couldn't be better, and I'm feeling great (in spite of a vicious pollen season).

I found the quote that follows in Oprah Magazine and loved it enough that I cut it out to share. It's from This is Water, originally part of a 2005 commencement address at Kenyon College by David Foster Wallace:

"This, I submit is the freedom of a real education, of learning how to be well-adjusted: You get to consciously decide what has meaning and what doesn't. You get to decide what to worship...Because here's something else that's true. In the day-to-day trenches of adult life, there is actually no such thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship. And an outstanding reason for choosing some sort of god or spiritual-type thing to worship -- be it J.C. or Allah, be it Yahweh or the Wiccan mother-goddess or the Four Noble Truths or some infrangible set of ethical principles -- is that pretty much anything else you worship will eat you alive. If you worship money and things -- if they are where you tap real meaning in life -- then you will never have enough. Never feel you have enough. It's the truth."

That's good stuff...Happy Golf Season...j


April 1, 2009 - What a difference a month makes. There's just nothing better than Spring when it comes to weather in New England. I took this photo in my front yard yesterday. The flowers are tiny bursts of color amongst the otherwise grey and dingy mess of the yard. It's amazing how Spring unfolds. Within weeks, the color comes back into the landscape; my favorite being the leaves returning to the trees. Seeing those first buds on the branches reassures us that we're finally through the winter. But, that being said, there's also nothing like the tulips - the leaves are coming up, but the flowers are nowhere to be seen yet... Well...this April has special significance for me. My 50th birthday is next month, and so this is my last month before I enter another "decade" of my life. I do admit that I love celebrating my birthday, but there have been moments when this milestone has messed with my head. I am the oldest of all of my neighborhood friends, which is so weird. Why should it matter ? It shouldn't; It doesn't. But 50 is not 30, and one of my friends from high school has a son born on almost the same day as one of my neighbors. Any day now, I expect to start getting mail from AARP (lol). Whatever....My husband and I have started shopping for my present and surely - if we get it right - I can focus on that instead of the massive amount of candles on my cake. What does matter most is that I do love this time of year and it's time to celebrate. I'm going to end this month's blog by adding another section called, What I'm Reading: (I tend to read more than one book at a time and many times move on to something new before finishing.) The Secret Currency of Love, The Unabashed Truth About Women, Money, and Relationships edited by Hillary Black Everyday Grace by Marianne Williamson Eve Adamson And waiting in the wings (not yet started) is A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of "A Course in Miracles by Marianne Williamson


March 1, 2009 - Gloom is the name of the game as we head into March with the news that a close family member has just been diagnosed with breast cancer. It's one of those experiences where life changes in an instant; suddenly, nothing will ever be the same. I have to admit that I tend to be prone to the "winter blues," but this year, there's something to be blue about and I doubt that the Spring will make it better. It's not me who is sick, but we are connected and therefore a part of me is sick as well. So, the question is, "How do we thrive when life is crumbling around us ?" "How do we continue to work toward our dreams when the dreams of those we love are gone ?" I know that it will not serve either one of us if I allow her illness to stop me, but I cannot help but be affected. So, perhaps there is a middle ground. Perhaps I can allow myself a little breathing room this month that will create some space for me to provide some support. And so I'll leave you with the words of Joseph Campbell, "...we have not even to risk the adventure alone, for the heroes of all time have gone before us."

Sunrise at Miramar Beach, Santa Barbara CA


	Miramar Beach, Montecito, California February, 2008

February 1, 2009... This is the first winter in 7 years that I don't have any plans to escape the cold and snow, after living in Santa Barbara for 20 years. For the past few years, February 1 has meant moving from Boston's frozen tundra into a house on Miramar Beach where I got to watch this phenomenal sunrise every day for at least a month. (In 2001, I was there for 10 weeks.) .... Today, I look out my 3rd floor office window to an incredible blanket of Boston snow and amazing icicles, and we're expecting another 3-5 inches tomorrow...No problem...

Soooooooooooo, my "attitude enhancement program" for the month of February is to look at this photo every morning and take myself there. Waking up on the beach was truly the most amazing place to start a day. There was nothing but opportunity staring you in the face. When you're drinking your morning tea with this at your feet, there's absolutely no way to avoid the possibilities of the day. I knew it wasn't heaven, but I could see it from there.

I encourage you to find the view in your life that makes it worthwhile to get out of bed in the morning. If you're not able to get there physically, take a minute each day this month to spend some time remembering the sweet feeling you have when you do get to be there. And, if you're inclined, I'd love to hear about it. Better yet, send me a photo.

Me.......My head is going to be on Miramar Beach and the rest of me -- this February -- is going to be shoveling snow in Boston....It's all good...j