The Language of Emotions – Shifting What No Longer Works Adventures in Awareness Issue #5 “We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility. It’s easy to say ‘It’s not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem.’ Then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my heroes.” – Fred Rogers, television host, songwriter, and author (20 Mar 1928-2003) Our ‘energy soup’ continues to swirl with energies that are asking - no, demanding - that we shift our thinking, our ways of being in relationship, and our levels of response (not reaction) to our world and all of its inhabitants. This month’s lunar eclipse/full moon creates a container for profound shifts in our thinking, consciousness and ultimately in our ability to be truly human, building on last month’s energies in true synchronicity. For example, within my clientele over the past several years I’m noticing how much more often their emotions are coming to the forefront in our conversations. This was also evident in my demo coaching session last week during Gail Moore’s ‘Inside the World of Master Coaching’ tele-seminar. During my 18 years as a coach, emotions have always been an integral part of my coaching conversations, which has provided a rich learning ground for me in building my capacity for holding the space in which my clients can explore them. The clients who are drawn to work with me seem to recognize that they are intuitively stepping into a sacred and safe space in which to examine not only their life and work, but also to...
Vulnerability & Openness – A Compassionate Connection to Personal Power Adventures in Awareness Issue #4 “If people work together in an open way with porous boundaries - that is, if they listen to each other and really talk to each other - then they are bound to trade ideas that are mutual to each other and be influenced by each other. That mutual influence and open system of working creates collaboration.” - Richard Thomas, actor (13 Jun 1951- ) As I continue to explore my 2015 personal theme of “Playfully Bold”, I’m noticing how boldness and playfulness can be demonstrated very effectively through vulnerability, compassion (for self and others) and openness. My reflective moments reveal not only those times when I choose to be compassionate, vulnerable, playful or bold without thought or hesitation, but also when I choose (often unconsciously) to play it safe for fear of judgment or ridicule. One of the places in my own life that I tend to play it safe is in wearing one of my wigs whenever I’m in the public eye, having lost my hair to chemotherapy four years ago. In my defense (wink, wink), I am a 4 on the Enneagram - the Romantic - which means, in part, that beauty and aesthetics are very important to my well-being. And a sign of my own growth is that after much resistance I’ve finally embraced the joy and ease of getting ready for my day in minimal time by simply plopping what my husband calls my ‘wig-hat’ onto my mostly bald head! As you’ll notice from the ‘energy soup’ information below, we’re...
EMOTIONS – Powerful Gateways to Reclaiming Personal Power Adventures in Awareness Issue #3 “Feelings like disappointment, embarrassment, irritation, resentment, anger, jealousy, and fear - instead of being bad news - are actually very clear moments that teach us where it is that we’re holding back. They teach us to perk up and lean in when we feel we’d rather collapse and back away. They’re like messengers that show us, with terrifying clarity, exactly where we’re stuck. This very moment is the perfect teacher and, lucky for us, it’s with us wherever we are.” - Pema Chödron, author As you’ll note from the ‘Energy Soup Report’ below, the inter-related themes for March are ‘Power’ and ‘Think Different’ - a space of time which invites us all to consciously and courageously examine our relationship with power, especially our own personal power. And as we do so, to notice how that relationship impacts the thoughts we think as well as the decisions and choices we make, especially in light of the turbulent and emotional stories in the news these last few weeks. In my work as a professional coach and mentor coach, I’ve noticed how when a coach acknowledges the presence of [or the lack of] emotions in a coaching conversation it can often open a doorway to deeper awareness for a client around how they’re using or not using their personal power regarding whatever they’re exploring. This awareness is usually not only about how the client is relating to a circumstance or person, but also to how they themselves are being impacted - often invisibly - by that circumstance or person....
Flights of Fancy – Thoughts as Skipping Stones Across Our Mind’s Awareness Adventures in Awareness Issue #2 “There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and be lost. The world will not have it… It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open.” - Martha Graham, choreographer As the new year is unfolding, I’m increasingly aware of my thoughts, in so-called ‘flights of fancy,’ scudding around in my mind like a stone deliberately skipped on a lake’s smooth surface. Too often I believe we reject these wonderful ‘flights’ that are an inherent, inborn aspect of the Self because we believe that it serves no purpose or is at odds with our grown-up culture of ‘maturity’. Of course, ‘flights of fancy’ are nothing new for a human being to experience, yet what is new - at least for me - is my noticing of it which I find fascinating, amusing and inspiring. Something else that’s risen to the forefront of my awareness is that unless I take an extra moment to anchor what I just noticed (by writing it down or recording it digitally) it can evaporate like smoke on a brisk breeze. Now, I’m not judging that as being either right or wrong, or good or bad, but rather as ‘it is what it is’. Paradoxically, it also opens a space for a new ‘flight of...
Taking Risks & Responsibility – Lessons to be Gleaned from a Super Bowl game Adventures in Awareness Issue #1 “The best day of your life is the one on which you decide your life is your own. No apologies or excuses…The gift of life is yours; it is an amazing journey; and you alone are responsible for the quality of it.” - Dan Zadra, author One of the many reasons I love being a professional coach is the ongoing inspiration I receive from my work. This morning brought an email message from a client that is a perfect example of this - the subject line read ‘Learning from Seahawks’: “On the bus this morning, pondering about Seahawks and the game yesterday. Contemplating what might I learn from it …. I heard on the radio on the way to Park&Ride: Pete Carroll said the call/decision was his, Russell Wilson said the call was ultimately his, and the offensive coordinator said it was his. It struck me how each took the ownership of decision of the final play. To me it is a testimony of the character and integrity of the team. It would have been easy to blame others, or to doubt yourself, ‘if only …’ We were heartbroken last night, being so close to championship. (Why did they make that call? Why not give the ball to Lynch, … Etc) As spectators, easy for us to say those things. The game, like the game of life is unpredictable. What does it mean to me to set my intention, to create the strategy, to make the plan and to execute...
