OUR BLOG

Coaching isn’t a one-way thing.  I get a lot of insight and shared wisdom from my clients … and I wanted to highlight a particularly brilliant question a dear client of mine asks herself on a regular basis.

We just got back from a two-week trip to Italy.

We’re blessed to have had the opportunity.  We don’t take it for granted and will treasure the memories.

We had a great time and learned a few things along the way.  Here goes, in no particular order, stream of consciousness.

What happens when your humble life coach attends a four-day immersion event with life coach extraordinaire, Tony Robbins?

Well, it was an emotionally intense experience.  I cried so much I rubbed my eyes raw.

AND … I got some great learnings and some valuable practices I want to incorporate into my daily routine.

I want to share one particular practice with you today.

Let me explain with a personal story of struggle … one that may help you with some difficult things you’re dealing with.

As many of you know, two years ago, we adopted the cutest, sweetest puppy.  He’s filled our lives with laughter and delight.

He was supposed to be hypoallergenic.

Not so.

Order?  Whaddya mean order?   A place for everything and everything in its place?  Yeah.  I like order.  But what is this desire for order … a life value or something else?  As a life coach and former counselor with a BA in Psychology and a Master’s in Counseling, I’ve taken a variety of different personality and behavioral assessments over the years.

The TruValues Program developed by Coach U helped me identify my top four values … connection, contribution, beauty, and to inspire.

It’s easy to let stuff bother you to the point where you find yourself slipping into a negative emotional state … and sometimes staying there.  As someone who coaches people around important issues in their lives and businesses, I can’t afford to be in anything but a positive mental and emotional state when I talk with folks.

But, phew!  Some days, things that aren’t going so well in my life can keep me awake at night and start me out on the wrong foot in the morning.  Maybe I was sick or dealing with allergic reactions to my supposedly hypo-allergenic puppy … or maybe there’s an important relationship that’s gone south and I’m bothered … or there are trends I see in the world that worry me.  I have to get past all that and focus on the possible … the uplifting … the inspirational … the positive.

The other day, something dropped into my email inbox first thing in the morning that instantly got me to the place I needed to be, and not just for that day, but for every day since.  It came from Abraham-Hicks, whom many of you I’m sure are familiar with, and if you’re not you should check out their website.

As many of you know, we have a lovely condo in Mexico … my happy place … that we get to enjoy for several months out of the year.  We’re here now, and I want to share a brief story of an experience we had recently that epitomizes the spirit of the holidays.

“The fabric of everything is not love.  It’s beauty. 
And the experience of seeing beauty is love.”

This rather profound quote comes to us from an interview with Dr. Zach Bush, who many of you know as a triple board-certified physician and modern day wise man.

I was really struck by that line … that thought.  But what does it mean for us in practical terms?  How can an appreciation of this relationship between what is beautiful in our world … and love … make a difference in our daily lives?

Is it good to be satisfied with where you are … or dissatisfied?  Is it good to be happy with the outcomes you’ve achieved or would it be better to always be wanting more?  These are questions that come up all the time in both my life and business coaching.

Trick questions?  Well, yeah, kinda, because there’s no definitive yes or no answer for every person in every situation.

BUT  … there are some important insights we can glean from examining these questions and seeing where people get wrapped around the axle, making themselves miserable by answering them in an unhelpful way.

It’s my job as a life coach … and a human being … to manage what’s going on inside me … to manage how I’m feeling.  A large part of that involves sitting with and ultimately transforming any negative feelings and inner dialogue I’ve conjured up into something more positive … the very best I can.  

Some people do this really well.  They’re generally optimistic and naturally don’t have to work that hard to see the brighter side of life.  Others don’t do this work at all … or do very little of it … and you can tell by what it’s like to be around them!

I do this fairly well, because I’m consistent.  But I didn’t come out of the womb a generally happy, optimistic person.  I’ve chosen to work at it.  We’ve talked about many of the tools I use in these newsletters over the years … writing a gratitude list, refreshing my mind and body with a midday meditation, doing EFT (tapping) when something’s really bothering me, etc.

Today, I want to share a story … and a tool that’s very easy to use and brings such a positive punch to your life!