What Story Are You Writing for 2021?

If life in 2020 were a movie, what part would you play?

Would you be the comedian, making sarcastic comments and bringing humor to the darkest of scenes?

Are you the best friend, providing support and encouragement to others?

Or are you the main character, valiantly struggling on the hero's journey against the obstacles to reach your happy ending?

Today I want to invite you to step into a new role.

When it comes to your story, you are not just a character.

You are the author.

How to avoid overwhelm this season

What are you looking forward to this month?

If you're like me, when you picture the holidays and the end of the year, you picture a cozy, sparkling scene: you're in your pajamas on the couch, reading into the late morning. You don't have anywhere to be but where you want to be. Your work is done. There's a crackling fire in the fireplace, and a hot cup of coffee in your hand. Later, there will be champagne, dinner with family, and movies and snuggling on the couch. Loved ones surround you, music fills the air, and life is distilled to it's best essence.

You're relaxed. You're content. You're overflowing with gratitude and joy.

End scene.

Now, welcome to reality: it's the beginning of December, and I'm already feeling behind. This is not unusual.

Do you feel extra stress around the holidays and the end of the year?

It's so normal.

Coaching, Your Best Bilingual Life, Spanish, SpanishSaturdayNikki BannisterDecember 4, 2020Life, Perspective, Overwhelm, Holidays, Work, ProcessComment

Are you acting or reacting?

Are you acting or reacting?

Our reactions are natural, instinctual, and often subconscious.

They're normal and even healthy to have, like removing our hand off the hot stove before our brain has even realized it's hot.

But they're meant to be short-lived. They're meant to interrupt us enough to bring our attention to what's just happened, so that we can consciously create a plan of action.

Are you staying stuck in the reaction?

Coaching, Your Best Bilingual Life, Spanish, SpanishSaturdayNikki BannisterNovember 13, 2020Life, Perspective, Actions, Reactions, TriggersComment

How to shift your perspective and keep it all in balance

If I were to ask you how you were doing right now, would the answer be, "fine"?

I was feeling "fine" at the end of last week when I met with my book club virtually (we're an international, multilingual, anti-racism book club, so pandemic aside, we meet on Zoom!). Our leader, my friend Hanna, started us off with a quick check-in, ice-breaker style question. Her prompt to us was,

What was the high point and the low point of your week?

And it got me thinking.

Coaching, Your Best Bilingual Life, Spanish, SpanishSaturdayNikki BannisterOctober 30, 2020Life, High points, Low points, Peruvian food, Balance, PerspectiveComment

W H I T E 🤍 F R A G I L I T Y

As you may already know, I am an avid reader. I believe it comes with the territory of being a language lover and story teller, and books have been a constant source of entertainment, inspiration, and education for me, but perhaps never moreso than now, in the time of COVID-19 and national conversations about racism.

This book has received it’s fair share of backlash. It’s controversial to those opposed to the notion of white fragility as well as to those who know white fragility exists but believe there are better ways to educate white people about our role in USAmerican society.

Maybe you read it and hate it. Maybe you’re opposed to reading it. Whatever your thoughts, here’s what I want to tell you about my experience reading it:

Book Review, CultureNikki BannisterJuly 3, 2020Anti-racism, White Fragility, Robin DiAngelo, PerspectiveComment

My Best Bilingual Life