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The challenge that will change your life!

CutToTheCore

Bring to mind a situation, relationship, belief that both challenges you and that you are ready to experience shift around.  

Got it?  Now:

 

  • Who would you be without this challenge?
  • What is the most powerful question I could ask?
  • What is your response to that question?
  • What needs to happen?
  • What steps will you take?
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What is your YAY?

What is your YAY?

SignsOfTheTimes4By6

Yes, that IS what I mean! What are you celebrating? What are you proud of? What bit of magic or delight have you created today? Say it. Go on! Stand up and shout to world: “I just … and it is so frickin’ awesome!”

What? You’re uncomfortable?
Ain’t no way you would do that?

What’s that about? Why is it that so often conversations center around what’s wrong, what we feel bad about, what ails us or the world at large?

Rather than dig into the why which often doesn’t do much good, I am challenging you to break the mold and simply model something different:

Share your YAY!

Then notice. Notice the impact in you when you dare to feel proud, good about yourself. Notice the impact on others when you express it. Then, invite them to join you. Ask your friends, your colleagues, your partner, your children:

What is your YAY?

Imagine sitting around the dinner table and hearing celebrations. Imagine starting a meeting at work with each person celebrating a recent accomplishment. Imagine we focused on the positive more than the negative. Imagine!

What are you proud of today?
How did you brighten our world today?
What is your YAY?

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The Spotlight of Deep Listening

SpotLight

Deep listening is the gift of giving our undivided attention. It involves listening beyond the words to the emotion, the meaning, the essence of what is being communicated. It is listening with our whole body and hearing what the other may be feeling, especially when they are unable to speak the words aloud.

Unfortunately, deep listening is rare, yet so very needed in our world. Too often we are multi-tasking in our brain – thinking about what we’ll say next or what is on our to-do list when we are pretending to listen to the child or parent or colleague or friend in front of us.

Though rare, you know when someone is deeply listening to you! And, it is a skill everyone can develop. To enhance the power and impact of your listening, try this one simple idea:

Shine the spotlight over there!

A well-known expression goes like this: What you focus on expands. Now, imagine there is a listening spotlight that you habitually shine on your own thoughts. In this way, while outwardly focused on the other person, inwardly, that light is expanding your thinking rather than expanding your ability to receive what the other person is communicating. Experiment today. In each conversation, begin by pausing, turning on the spotlight, and pointing it in the direction of the one who needs your listening ear.

What do you hear when your focus is directed on them?
What do you notice in your responses?
What is the impact of your deeper listening?

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From which perspective?

My morning journaling held a strong message for me about choosing from which direction or voice or perspective I am to be with “it” – whatever the current “it” is in life. While there are many perspectives, today I was aware of:

  • IN THE TRENCHES: Purely emotional perspective characterized by internal unrest, the pain body, focus on my needs, sometimes filled with blaming others for how they aren’t supporting me
  • TAKE CHARGE ATTITUDE: Physical or material perspective characterized by seeking a fix, wondering what “I” should do about “it”, often ignoring that inner emotional reaction to “it”
  • SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: Intellectual or calculated perspective characterized by evaluating societal rules or beliefs held by organizations I affiliate with and asking what the “right” thing to do is, regardless of my personal wants and needs
  • EVOLUTION OF CONSCIOUSNESS: Stepping beyond the body/mind/emotion of life and resting in the meta-view of soul or consciousness where we are one, where all of humanity is connected. Here, what I do, say and feel impacts the greater whole and that greater whole impacts me. What I am experiencing is reflective of what others are experiencing. Daring to take this perspective, I become willing to see and act upon what is best for the greater good. Actions from this perspective are resonant and intentional. They may be uncomfortable and difficult on the human level, but the energy of resonance with the greater good supports us. Those actions might look like:
  • Taking a day off to honor personal wellbeing in order to return to work, people and responsibilities rested, open and loving
  • Taking a deep breath and muscling through what lies ahead one more time
  • Having that difficult conversation with a spouse or co-worker and respectfully speaking personal truth that may be hard for them to hear and then staying with them as they respond
  • Dropping allegiance to an organization that seems to need you yet is not aligned with your deeper, perhaps evolving, beliefs

This is a lot! Perhaps take a moment to notice the perspective that you habitually operate from and how that is – or is not – working for you. Then:

What challenge am I facing?
What perspective would I like to try on?
What do I see from this perspective?
What support do I need?

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You are a headliner!

CutToTheCore

Bring to mind a situation, relationship, belief that both challenges you and that you are ready to experience shift around.  

Got it?  Now:

 

  • What short Headline describes this situation?
  • What short Headline describes your desired outcome?
  • When you have achieved this outcome, which of your deepest desires will be met?
  • What personal strengths will you bring to transform this situation?
  • What will you release or let go of along the way?
  • Now what?