Seven Wednesdays, Finishing the Year With Intention, Presence, and Beauty

There is something powerful about the number seven. Seven days in a week, seven colors in the rainbow, seven notes in a musical scale. And now, there are seven Wednesdays left before the year comes to a close.

Seven pauses.
Seven recalibrations.
Seven midweek moments to breathe and begin again.

Wednesdays are often overlooked, caught between the hurry of the beginning and the fatigue of the end. 

Funny, Wednesday are actually when I write my Thursday Thoughts.  They have always been a day of heads down, kick into gear, get it done ... 

But, when I looked at my calendar today, I realized we have seven Wednesdays until we are into the New Year.  And, then, I started viewing the next seven Wednesdays as steppingstones into a new year, something shifted. They became checkpoints, invitations, opportunities to realign.

What if these next seven Wednesdays were not just the midpoint of another week, but seven powerful reminders to return to yourself?

Let us explore how you can use each one with intention.

1. Take Them in Your Hand

When we have only a handful of something left, days, conversations, chapters, we tend to hold them with more care and more meaning.

These seven Wednesdays are a gift.

You do not need a new month or a new year to reset. You can decide right now, these Wednesdays will be different.

This is your invitation to step out of autopilot and into awareness.

2. Live Them Differently

Wednesdays can feel like the turning point of the week, where stress accumulates and energy dips. But they can become moments of renewal instead of moments of collapse.

Try shifting your approach:

• Begin each Wednesday with a grounding practice
• Recommit to what matters most for the week
• Release overwhelm and return to what feels true
• Choose one small, meaningful action to realign your direction

When you live differently, even a midweek day becomes extraordinary.

3. Realize How Precious Your Life Is

Life becomes more meaningful when we remember it is finite, not to create fear, but to spark appreciation.

These Wednesdays are not just dates on a calendar.
They are reminders to wake up to your life.

Use them to notice the people you love, appreciate the breath in your lungs, recognize the beauty in your routines, and honor how far you have come.

When you treat time as precious, your days become richer.

4. Magnify the Beautiful Things

Beauty grows where attention goes.

Each Wednesday is a chance to magnify the beautiful things in your life, even if the world feels busy or uncertain.

Try this practice:

• Name three beautiful things
• Celebrate a midweek win
• Acknowledge a moment of joy or connection
• Notice what is working instead of what is not

When you magnify beauty, you shift your inner landscape.

5. Finish the Year Strong, In Your Own Way

Strong does not have to mean pushing harder.

Strong can mean clear boundaries, quiet confidence, thoughtful choices, authentic presence, and rest that restores instead of drains.

Finishing the year strong can be gentle.
It can be intentional.
It can be an act of self-respect instead of self-pressure.

Your Wednesdays can anchor that strength.

6. Focus on Now

Whatever happened earlier this year, whether triumph or heartbreak, is behind you.

These Wednesdays are not about what came before.
They are about what you can shape now.

Each one gives you a fresh opportunity to realign, correct course, and breathe into the present instead of replaying the past.

Presence is your power.

7. Give Yourself a Blank Slate

A blank slate is not something the calendar hands you. It is something you choose.

Let these Wednesdays remind you that you can forgive yourself, release old stories, reset your mindset, reimagine your direction, and welcome new truths and new beauty.

You can color the rest of this year with clarity, intention, and love.
You can choose to make your life beautiful, beginning now.

Make Life Beautiful, Starting With These Wednesdays

Beauty does not appear by accident. It is created through conscious choices, intentional attention, the courage to slow down, and the willingness to see your life differently.

Seven Wednesdays is not a countdown.
It is an invitation.

A chance to end the year with clarity, a chance to reconnect with your soul, a chance to create a softer, truer, and more grounded ending, and a brighter beginning.

Take these Wednesdays in your hand.
Live them fully, live them gently, live them beautifully.

Happy Wednesday <3,

-srt

Harnessing the Power of Mind Mapping: Turning Chaos into Clarity

When I first proposed an incentive program to the manager of our local Sizzler, it didn’t even have a name that I can recall. 

My mom, a teacher at Loomis Grammar School, was searching for a way to encourage good behavior in her classroom. At the same time, I was working as a waitress at Sizzler while taking a business class that required me to create a marketing idea for a business.

It all seemed to align, the school’s need, my class project, and my workplace connection. The only request from the elementary school was a “Caught Ya Being Good” certificate, something small to recognize positive behavior. I thought, Perfect, that’s my project.

But as I began developing the program, I felt there was more potential hiding just beneath the surface. I had one good idea, but what if it could be bigger? What if we could celebrate not just good behavior, but effort, kindness, academics, attendance, leadership, and growth?

That is when I turned to mind mapping. I placed “Incentive Program” in the center of the page and began branching out. From that single “Caught Ya Being Good” idea, six additional certificates emerged, each one representing a different way to recognize and inspire students.

The transformation was remarkable. Teachers had more ways to celebrate their students. Children were motivated by the variety of recognition opportunities. Parents noticed the difference in their kids’ pride and engagement. What started as one certificate became a vibrant, multifaceted system, thanks to the clarity and creativity that mind mapping provided.

The program grew beyond that first classroom. It grew beyond that one store in Auburn, California to Northern California and then more states.  Over time, I created versions for KFC, Taco Bell, A&W, and Sizzler, before eventually deciding to move into corporate America. Looking back, mind mapping gave me the structure and vision to take a simple school idea and expand it into a larger business concept.

Why Mind Mapping Matters

Mind mapping is not just about staying organized. It is about unlocking new possibilities. Instead of keeping ideas trapped in scattered lists, mind mapping mirrors the way our minds naturally connect thoughts.

• Clarity: Breaks complex programs into clear categories

• Creativity: Sparks fresh insights and new directions

• Retention: Combines visuals and words for stronger memory

• Confidence: Turns overwhelm into actionable steps

For professionals, educators, and leaders, mind mapping becomes a bridge between inspiration and implementation.

When to Use Mind Mapping

Mind mapping is powerful in situations where you need both structure and imagination:

• School and Community Programs: Designing initiatives like Sizzler

• Project Planning: Outlining goals, timelines, and responsibilities

• Strategic Thinking: Exploring scenarios before committing to a path

• Brainstorming: Generating content, campaign ideas, or presentations

• Personal Growth: Mapping goals, values, or future vision

Whenever you feel limited by a single idea, or overwhelmed by too many, it is the right time to map it out.

How to Use Mind Mapping

The process is simple and energizing:

1. Start with the Central Idea: Place the main theme (for example, “Incentive Program”) in the center

2. Branch Out: Add main categories like behavior, academics, leadership, teamwork

3. Expand with Details: Build sub branches (specific certificates, logistics, recognition methods)

4. Add Color and Symbols: Highlight priorities and bring energy to the map

5. Refine: Review, expand, and adjust as new ideas surface

My first mind map was on a piece of poster board that I carried all the way to LA to pitch to Sizzler's Head of Marketing.  Nowadays, I recommend digital tools like MindMeister or Miro, mind mapping makes complex planning feel approachable.

The Feminine Edge Vision with Structure

What I love most about mind mapping is how it balances intuition with structure. It is expansive yet organized, creative yet practical. For the Incentive Programs, it allowed me to honor the original idea while expanding it into something bigger and more inspiring, programs that celebrated not just behavior, but character and community.

Closing Thought

The journey from one “Caught Ya Being Good” certificate to a full suite of student recognitions, and later to multiple restaurant brands, is proof of what happens when we give our ideas room to grow.

Mind mapping does not just help us get organized. It helps us see possibilities, spark innovation, and lead with clarity and grace.

Your next great idea may be waiting for you to map it out.

Happy Thursday dreamers,

-srt

P.S. What projects might you use a mind map on?  If you need a place to start, reach out via email or cell and I can help you get going.  

Unlocking Innovation: How SCAMPER Transforms Stalled Ideas

I still remember sitting in a conference room, staring at a whiteboard filled with half-baked concepts for a new platform to capture innovative ideas across the organization. The goal was simple yet ambitious: build a space where creativity could thrive, where every employee, from intern to executive, could share ideas to shape our future.

But the brainstorming session? It was painfully uninspiring.

Every proposal looked predictable. The features mirrored tools we already had, the design lacked spark, and the conversation turned quickly to limitations, budget, time, and technology. The energy drained from the room, and it felt like we were about to create a platform no one would actually use.

That was, until we paused, regrouped and decided the next day to try something different. 

The next day we introduced the SCAMPER technique to the room.  And, let me be clear, it wasn't me ... I had never heard of SCAMPER.  But, someone on our team had and thank heavens they threw the idea out!  

While we received groans and a couple sighs, by noon the team had structure and energy again. Instead of circling the same old ideas, we began asking new questions: What if we substituted the submission process with voice notes? What if we combined recognition with gamification? What if we eliminated barriers like logins altogether?

By the end of the session, our ordinary project had transformed into something extraordinary. The platform vision evolved into a dynamic, engaging hub that truly reflected the innovative spirit we wanted to unleash. That’s the power of SCAMPER.

Why SCAMPER Matters

Innovation rarely happens by accident; it happens when we give ourselves both permission and structure to think differently. SCAMPER matters because:

• It sparks divergent thinking and challenges the status quo.
• It provides a framework for creativity, so teams don’t get stuck in the “blank page” problem.
• It can be applied to products, services, processes, or platforms—any challenge can be reframed with its prompts.
• It levels the playing field, giving every team member, not just the loudest voices, a way to contribute fresh ideas.

SCAMPER is the bridge between “we’ve tried this before” and “what if we tried this differently?”

When to Use SCAMPER

Think of SCAMPER as your secret weapon when ideas stall or need a refresh. Use it:

• At the start of innovation projects to broaden the creative landscape.
• When teams feel stuck in sameness or uninspired.
• To re-energize stalled conversations or overcome creative roadblocks.
• In design thinking workshops or ideation labs.
• Anytime you’re aiming to transform the ordinary into the remarkable.

How to Use SCAMPER

Each letter is a lens to see your challenge differently:

• S – Substitute: What processes, tools, or materials could be replaced?
• C – Combine: What features or functions could we merge?
• A – Adapt: What approaches from other industries could we apply?
• M – Modify (Magnify/Minify): What can we expand, shrink, or simplify?
• P – Put to another use: How else could this platform serve people?
• E – Eliminate: What unnecessary steps or barriers can we remove?
• R – Reverse/Rearrange: What if we flipped the process or reordered the flow?

Start with your core challenge.  In this case, designing an idea-capturing platform. Work systematically through each prompt, capturing every possibility without judgment. Evaluation comes later; the goal is exploration.

Inspiration for Leaders

As leaders, it’s easy to feel the pressure to have all the answers. But true innovation doesn’t emerge from lone genius, it comes from collective creativity. SCAMPER equips you to lead those conversations with clarity and confidence.

It’s not about inventing something entirely new, it’s about reimagining what’s already possible. SCAMPER asks us to look at the same challenge with fresh eyes and bold curiosity.

When you bring SCAMPER into your projects, you do more than brainstorm. You ignite a culture of possibility. And in that space, ideas that once felt impossible begin to take shape.

Happy Thursday dreamers,

-srt

Tell me … what challenge in your work right now could benefit from being seen through the SCAMPER lens and how can Rea Coaching and Consulting assist?