Coach Pia and One Core

Write down the four most important aspects of your life. Things that matter. Things that mean something. Parts of yourself and your life that you can’t live without…YOUR VALUES. Write ’em down, (only four please) and now when I ask…..

Please hand in the one that you can do without.

This was Coach Pia’s introduction to our “Better Relationships” workshop. As part of our SoMoms #Betterme campaign we have committed ourselves to being more mindful in our lives, our motherhood, and our blogging.

But when Coach Pia asked me to sacrifice one of my core values in order to save the other three, I found myself clinging to that little piece of paper which represented one of the four most important things in my life. What could be worse than having to give something up (even if only on paper) that means that much? Well, giving up the other three, as I later found out.

As a woman, I know that much of the happiness and success that I feel in my life depends on the quality of my relationships. (Yes, I had the tapes that I listened to in the car, Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus, when Nino and I first got married.) We all want healthy relationships, so when the topic of our workshop was “Building Healthier Relationships,” I was sure to adjust my schedule so that I could attend.

This was one of the first slides that came up on the screen which caused me to pause. There were others after this one, but here is what it all boils down to, “The quality of my personal relationships is determined by my ability to live out my personal values.” Amen to that.

Coach Pia asked us to really think about what matters most to us and gave us constructive tools to use in raising our children, nurturing our marriage, and staying true to ourselves. I find that as a mom, wife, sister, daughter, and even daughter in law, I can sometimes lose sight of those things because I’m taking care of everyone else’s needs before my own. In this workshop I reinforced my understanding of self-care from something as simple as listing my four most important values in my life.

While digesting all of the important points and reminders that Coach Pia put out there for us to ponder, the SoMoms were treated to a yummy lunch (for digestion of another kind) by Charlie’s Pritchon. I had pritchon before so I knew we were in for a special treat. The idea for pritchon, as Charlie explained, came to him when he was sitting in traffic and as he and his wife continued to tweak the idea and serve it with a variety of sauces to choose from. Pritchon is a young suckling pig that is deep fried, as opposed to being roasted on a spit fire like Lechon. (NOW I know why it’s so darn good!) Anyway, Charlie and Dina put together this business over 11 years ago and since the business has grown, their children have taken on their roles in the endeavor as well. I love Charlie’s Pritchon even more, because it’s a mom and pop operation where they continue to provide tasty treats as a family. They recently expanded their menu to include Pritchon Pabo, (TURKEY!!) Paella and even vegetarian wraps! (calling all yoginis!)

When we were finished with lunch we moved on to more discussions and sharing by applying what we were learning to our own situations at home. We created plans for achieving our short and long term goals, not just as mommas, but as a family. We touched on the The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman and learned how to begin conducting “family meetings.” I was familiar with The 5 Love Languages since Nino and I attended the Marriage Encounter Weekend Seminar a few years ago. It is very helpful in understanding not only your partner’s needs, but identifying your own as well. If you are interested in knowing more about the 5 Love Languages, you can take the quick test here.

I have had this discussion more than once with my sister who works full time. We get into the debate about how she feels guilty that she doesn’t spend enough time with her kids, and I feel bad that I don’t have much time to myself. So as moms, we find it difficult to balance the far reaching sides of the spectrum in our parenthood. I suppose what Coach Pia wants us to do is map out HOW we balance these aspects of ourselves. (Hence, my sister’s career is very satisfying for her and my career path needs more attention.) Mapping it all out, can help us set our goals (according to our core values) for ourselves more clearly. Sometimes, all that it takes to achieving a little happiness is balancing these 5 aspects of our lives by recognizing where we can put in more time and where we have too much.

I came home from this session feeling more focused, and honored that many of the SoMoms shared parts of themselves with me because we were attending this session together. Since we discussed our own lives, trials, and challenges that we experience on a daily basis, we understand each other better, and that type of sharing and empathizing  can lead to friendships, inspiration, and more personal growth for everyone. I know that I’m not just speaking for myself when I say that SoMoms look forward to the next session with Coach Pia. Attending a group session like this was empowering. I came home ready to share all that I had learned with Nino and my excitement had piqued his interest. I’m sure we will take advantage of our membership package and we have already discussed attending the next free workshop together.

This #SoMoms #session was sponsored by Unilab. Thank you Unilab for continuing to partner in the SoMoms Sessions and supporting the #Betterme campaign. It is through their support and sponsorship that we can enrich ourselves and share the information with our readers.

 

The One Core is an organization which empowers both young and mature people find their “CORE,” through coaching, mentoring, workshops and events.  Born out of two friends who saw the need to help the younger generations find direction, Pia Acevedo and Pia Magalona aim to facilitate “real life lessons,” not taught in school to help young adults achieve their life goals and aspirations. The One Core holds free learning sessions once a month for people who would like to attend and learn more. (I don’t know of any organization that holds FREE workshops like this) For more information on how to become a member and upcoming workshops, visit The One Core Facebook Page.