Where can you play BIG in your life?

There's nothing like declaring to a room full of strangers that you need to work on your marriage. And yet that's what I did last month when I spoke to an audience about playing BIG in 2011.

Sure, I could have talked about going into business for myself, about committing the time and energy to creating my coaching EMPIRE!!!!!! (Imagine maniacal laughter in the background.) As I was writing my speech, however, I realized that playing big in business has been relatively easy for me. After all, I already have the discipline (thanks, Tiger Mom!), tools, education, skills and experience it takes to successfully grow my business. I knew what I needed to do, and I have done so, step by step, methodically and with intention.

As I crafted my speech, I started to realize that for me, playing big in 2011 was about something else. About something that has been in my peripheral vision for several years, perhaps even decades. It's something that has been trying desperately to get my attention as I have moved forward steadfastly with achieving my life goals - going to graduate school, getting a good job, having kids, building a business.

I started to turn my head in order to look all around me, and suddenly it came dramatically came into focus. That something was my marriage -- a bedrock of support in that it has never gotten in the way of my plans. Yet in staying out of the way it has also become relegated to the background.

For me, playing BIG this year will be about playing in an area of my life in which I feel I don't have the tools, the skills and experience. An area in which the ending is unpredictable, murky, unclear. It's about finally focusing on something that has been integral to my success but has gotten the short end of the stick because of it.

Very often we define playing BIG in the expected ways -- getting that corner office, making that first million, quitting that high profile job to spend time with family. All still very valuable and worthwhile pursuits. Yet I imagine that in many ways, we use these areas of focus to hide from those that are even more important to our happiness and fulfillment.

So take a moment today to look at what's been hanging out in your periphery, and let me know if you start to see new, exciting, scary, inspiring, energizing ways in which you can play BIG in your life this year.

Warm regards,
Carolyn