I just read an article that is a “must share” with each of you. Marcia Wieder, a professional dream coach, has written “12 Ways to Be a 21st Century Visionary, Leader & Coach”. Broken into 4 parts for CHOICE magazine on-line, her thoughts are powerful for coaches, leaders, and everyone who wants to have an impact in the world and make a difference.
Choices: Challenge or Opportunity
It feels like I've written lots about making choices, about handling life's options in ways which empower us. Yet, I need another lesson so here I am again!
This week was (over)filled with a variety of activities and possibilities. I am SO blessed, right? Well, I allowed the plethora of commitments to overwhelm me as the week wore on and I lost sight of the blessings and the fact that I not only “get to” but “must” choose. As I talked through the situation with my coach and reflected later, here are a few of the points I now know:
- There will always be more and I cannot do everything now
- When I lose ease, I lose Jeanne
- When I try to pack it all in, I am in a place of lack, believing that the opportunity will be gone forever
And I know that no amount of time on this earth would be enough to meet every person, travel to every corner of the world, experiment with all forms of creativity, spirituality, exercise … You get the idea. As a human being, I must choose. And that means both “Yes!” and “No!”. And sometimes it means “Not now.”
So, today I looked for a question to guide me in my choice making. I needed a question that would result in yes, no, or not now. For me, what worked was:
For me, the answers here can be that it serves my ego or my codependency. Yikes! Other answers include my core values, my desire to lead. Or perhaps it serves my need to have fun or build relationships. My inner being knows at this point whether the answer is a strong “Yes!” or a strong “No!”. If time permits an activity that isn't a strong “Yes!” (sometimes these are the only options we have time for), some other questions can help:
- Who does “it” serve?
- What level of tension or ease does it bring “it” raise?
- What if “it” never happened?
- What if “it” happened later?
Be Here Now
It has been a week filled with the lesson:
Be in this moment, be fully present. Now is where life happens. Now is the only place where I can make a difference. What I notice is:
Sometimes, that care comes in the form of events I don't really want but which remind me that I am not present – and need to be.
I was on my way to volunteer at a treatment facility on Wednesday morning, aware that a major event had occurred the day before and the women were likely still experiencing emotional grief. What was needed was me, fully present, able to be with whatever showed up in my group. Now, the Universe had already supplied me with the idea to ask for help and bow out of an earlier commitment that felt like more than I could handle. I had and all was well. I was on my way believing I was present for the women.
Until, the flashing lights went on behind me.
Continue reading “Be Here Now”
Is it a PICNIC?
Okay. Here's the facts around the last half hour. I came here with an intention of creating a blog entry that would hold a meaningful message for you. And I wrote with relative ease. Then the software didn't respond to my commands as I intended and “Poof!” it was gone.
In information technology, this is most often the result of a PICNIC:
In other words, I probably did something wrong as opposed to there being a “bug” in the blogging software.
In life, when we are told that we made the mistake, well sometimes, that isn't an easy nut to swallow. “My error? NOT!” And fuming persists and the blame game continues. Then what?
I blame you.
You blame me.
There is an answer
but I don't see.
Frustrated, angry.
I am blind.
Resolution hidden
from my mind.
Oh my! Where did that come from? Truthfully, it came from letting go of what I'd lost through the PICNIC. It came from not engaging in a blame game and storming away mad. It came from opening to resolution and moving forward, to “what is here now?” rather than dwelling on what is lost. And it came in about two minutes.
- Where are you blind?
- Where are you playing the blame game?
- What's the power in owning a “problem in chair”?
Shifting Gears
Yes. I am shifting gears. This month, I begin anew having having completed a 30 year career at Lawrence University. I have chosen to “shift gears”, to focus my life energy in a different direction. From IT professional, the multi-tasking, problem-solving, answer focused manager … to … the question laden, heart-connected, life coach presence that experiences life in a slower gear.
Not that my heart didn't show up at the office or that I didn't care about the people around me … I did! There were, however, many days when “over-drive” was the only gear that resulted in success – or so it seemed. It felt at times like there simply wasn't time for a heart connection. Work was pressing.
Guess I wonder today if that's true. I wonder if over-drive and heart-drive can co-exist regardless of where we work or what we're doing. Can we, as goal-oriented, success-driven Americans find a way of moving in the world that has more ebb and flow, time for focus, time for connection? Can we bring more balance into each day, into each area of life: work, family, play?
I want to believe the answer is YES! And I smile to find this poem from 2004 in my own writing collection:
Many of us have a belief system intended to support us in the search for balance and connection. Yet, however one experiences spirit, higher power, guide, inner wisdom, it does us no good if we do not pause to listen, discern, and then act on the message we hear.
What message waits for you in the stillness?
What area of your life needs a gear shift?