Be Impeccable with Your Word – Unexpected Insights from Taking on One of the Four Agreements
Adventures in Awareness Issue #17
“Speak in such a way that others love to listen to you. Listen in such a way that others love to speak to you.” - Unknown
Be Impeccable with Your Word
Unexpected Insights from Taking on One of the Four Agreements
Thanks for your patience as I’ve been ‘getting back in the groove’ after being away for 10 days in Brazil and on the heels of that, another 3 days in Portland Oregon USA.
My talks in Brazil went very well and were well received; many thanks to those of you who sent energy in support - I felt it and I’m grateful for it! I’m still marveling at how smoothly I stood before 200+ people on multiple occasions and spoke with passion and confidence. I connected with the audience participants easily and created trust & intimacy almost instantly - it felt like an intimate conversation rather than a speaking engagement…and it all felt so natural to me that I’m actually looking forward to doing more of it. Peace and freedom were my primary experiences, and joy was prevalent in all my activities - delicious!
Which brings me to my musing for this New Moon time. In preparing for having simultaneous translation done for me while I was in Brazil, I was mindfully weighing my words on my slides and in my notes to cue my verbal remarks. At the same time, I re-read “The Four Agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz, and felt truly compelled to take on the agreement of “Be Impeccable with Your Word.”
This principle has guided me over the past several weeks, and the first thing I’ve noticed is that my speaking has slowed a bit, allowing for more thoughtful consideration of the words I want to offer. This pacing was useful for my translators because they told me that Portuguese takes about a quarter of the time longer to express something spoken in English :-).
I’ve also noticed that I’m speaking or writing using fewer words – not consciously but naturally - almost like my thinking/speaking operating system has already been re-programmed with the onset of my commitment to being impeccable with my word. It showed up first in writing email responses and starting to write a typically used phrase like, “I enjoyed…”. As soon as I wrote it, my gut clenched a little, and I asked myself, “Is that true for me?”. When I realized it wasn’t true for me, I sought a more true expression and as I wrote that my gut was peaceful. What’s surprising me is how often those ‘make nice’ phrases flow out without thought or any real meaning.
My biggest victories to-date are:
[1] In having had a conversation with my bank about credit card snafus while I was away, I didn’t apologize for being unhappy about what happened. Also, I remained calmly clear about insisting they tell me what more I can do next time to prevent a repeat occurrence. I kept moving up the chain of command through three different people to obtain the information and outcome I desired. And as I realized I hadn’t uttered any ‘make nice’ apology for my requests, I felt freedom in a way I didn’t expect. I’m still marveling at that because I didn’t consciously decide not to apologize - wow!
[2] This past week it felt important to me to say ‘no’ to a former client’s request as she spoke about possibly re-engaging my services. As she finished making her request, I suddenly felt like I was standing in two buckets of quick-drying cement, and I found myself thinking aloud. I said, “I admit that I’m conflicted about your request, but I’m clear I can’t say ‘yes’ to it because it doesn’t feel right.” In the past I would have apologized as I was saying ‘no’, but I didn’t in this conversation because it would have been totally inauthentic. Regardless of the ultimate outcome, I’m at peace with having been impeccable with my word - freedom again.
To my delight, I’m enjoying discovering where I utter my words unconsciously. It’s exciting to discover what my signals are if I pay attention to them and allow them to warn me when I’m about to be cavalier with my words.
I’m curious how this will affect my relationships and conversations through the upcoming holiday season.
CONTINUING THIS ADVENTURE INTO AWARENESS
What are the various factors that contribute to or detract from authenticity in our communications with one another?
I invite you to consider this question and, as you do, notice what new awareness emerges from within you. And please remember to have FUN on that awareness adventure into the question, okay?
Happy exploring!
Amoráh
THE ENERGY SOUP REPORT:
Since we’re all inextricably interconnected to each other, our planet, and our universe, here are some of the energies we’re all swimming in together right now:
New Moon - Nov 11th 9:47 AM [Pacific Time] ~ remember that New Moons are times to go within and examine what we desire to create or bring forth next.
The Power Path ~Watch for cranky irritation around any pressure you feel from others, yourself or your environment. Take a moment around this new moon for yourself and focus on something that needs completion. Cranky energy can always be transformed into a fiery inspiration that fuels action. Be physically active and do something physical that expands your space, clears something out and provides you with an opportunity to take action towards something you desire.
Stephanie Austin, EcoAstology ~ Every ending is also a beginning. Something is ready to die, and something is struggling to be born. Will we cling to the old, or turn toward the new? The next new moon reveals where we are shedding an old skin in order to grow, and how light, love, and truth always dispel the darkness…Harness the power of these [new moon energies] to explore your shadow and connect more deeply with your inner guidance.
Madeline Gerwick, Business Astrologer, Polaris Business Guides ~ Beginning November 8th, a series of cycles bring us the potential for penetrating insights, strong healing, and plenty of growth. These same cycles can be used by business to communicate with the masses or powerful people, teaching and creating opportunities for growth or abundance. These cycles (Mercury sextile Pluto, Sun trine Chiron, Mercury and the Sun both sextile Jupiter, Mercury trine Chiron) peak between November 9th – 13th. If you plan to teach workshops related to healing, health, hidden truths, or sacred work, this would be a good period to have them. In addition, this is a great time to start your promotions for the holidays, if you haven’t already done so. (Perhaps you started them in mid-to-late October?) If you have presentations you want to make to important prospects, this is also a great time to do that. Make good use of these dates! This New Moon is focused on starting a lot of healing and teaching (Sun and Moon trine Chiron, Saturn conjunct MC). There are also plenty of expansive ideas or promotions (Mercury sextile Jupiter) and the masses and/or powerful people are listening! There’s a great deal of potential getting started at this New Moon.
Cosmic*Intelligence*Agency ~ The New Moon is a time of new beginnings and fresh starts but alas this New Moon is in the sign of death, transformation and rebirth. What does that mean for us? Ideally this New Moon in Scorpio is a time to let go, shed, and relinquish in order to re-birth…This is ‘The Call to Health and Healing’ of ourselves, our society and our planet and to take back our power in this regard (Pluto trine Jupiter and square Uranus). There is so much power in this movement to…align our personal Hero’s/ Heroine’s Journey with the well-being of the planet.
Oct 18-Nov 14 is the “Self-Existing Moon [Month] of Form” according to the Galactic Calendar - its energies are Define-Measure-Form, its Totem Animal is Owl: “You are the Universe, expressing itself as a human for a little while.” ~ Eckhart Tolle
November Theme - “Pressure”
The Power Path - Lena & Jose Stevens: This month we enter the labor that will birth our own transformation and change. And just as in actual childbirth, once the process begins, there is no going back. The pressure we feel is that of being in a container that has grown too small. It is time to face the unknown, our own fears and resistance, and move ourselves to the next level.
The pressure coming from inside is our own higher self, our essence, pushing us to be bigger, to be more, to disengage from the past, to move out of our shell, and to break through the barrier of small and diminished experience into the vast ocean of possibility. The pressure can feel like dissatisfaction, confusion, impatience and irritation. This is our own inner desire and intention for change that is prodding and poking us to get on with it. The path is not yet clear. This month it is enough to work with being ready by allowing what is holding us back to fall apart. The big work will be to allow the fear and anxiety to dissolve and to move into a place of trust. Remember that theme from September?
The pressure coming from the outside is coming from the environment itself, the environment being anything you come into contact with. It could include all the people and all the containers that you have been operating all of your projects, work and life out of. Your environment acts as a mirror and will put pressure on you based on what you said you wanted. There is a saying, be careful what you ask for. This is certainly true for this time frame as your intentions and desires will be magnified and expanded. It is as if everything has grabbed the energy of Jupiter and filled itself with hot air and helium. There is tremendous pressure that has built up that can be used to take the whole planet to the next level of functioning.
Ongoing “Energy Soup”:
Uranus Retrograde - Jul 26-Dec 25 2015 - Stephanie Austin, EcoAstrology - Uranus highlights where we need to break old patterns and make a radical shift; use its retrograde phase to explore alternatives. Where do you need to be more independent and innovative? Where do you need to take a leap of faith? Uranus reminds us that in order for things to change, we have to change.
Upcoming Events:
ICF Competency Brush-Up Program - 18.0 ICF CCEs [in core competencies] - I designed and love leading this program - next offering begins January 27, 2016
2016 ICF Midwest Conference - Theme: “The Crossroads of Coaching” June 23-25, 2016 in Indianapolis IN
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Interested in becoming a Mentor Coach? There are 2 programs I can suggest with confidence: [1] the inviteCHANGE Mentor Coach Training Program beginning Feb 23 2016 15th and, [2] the International Mentor Coach Training Program: Going Beyond Models, starting Jan 12th.
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