seasons

 

Seasons of the year tend to be what most people think about when they think of, spring, summer, autumn, and winter, and those are the seasons. We also have seasons in our life, discovery, accomplishment, significance, and sharing. We can have seasons in a single day, awakening, work, relaxation and sleep.

We are now in the autumn season with respect to how the earth precesses around sun. In life autumn is the season where many reflect on years of work, perhaps in a career only to realize that all that work wasn’t so meaningful. Maybe there is a feeling of restlessness which fuels a desire to do something meaningful during the next few years. Is there a gap in your life where you may be feeling like all life has been is work and without significance? What would make your life significant?

White knuckled experience

 

Sometimes we go through life hanging on the proverbial steering wheel so tightly that our knuckles turn white. We live such frenetic lives that all we can do is hang on and hope that we survive the day. It seems as if each day that passes increases in intensity demanding more from us and in some cases more than we can give.

In the assessment that comes at the end of the day we realize we haven’t done what we set out to do. Thoughts of a diminished self-worth race towards us. “I didn’t do enough” … those feelings repeated day after day weigh in on us and become burdensome. Each day a bit of burden falls on your shoulders and a bit the next and the next and the next and the weight of those burdens causes to grip a bit harder on that steering wheel of life – a white knuckled experience which can lead to a life that is not satisfying.

What part of your life demands more than you can give? How are you doing a reducing that burden you are feeling on your shoulders? What do you want to remove from your life that you haven’t removed yet?

“We must learn to let go as easily as we grasp or we will find our hands full and our minds empty.” Leo Buscaglia “The way of the bull”

inspired with confidence

How often are you encouraged?

In your work or even in your relationship with others when was the last time you heard a word of encouragement?

In your work or even in your relationship with others when was the last time you heard word of a critical nature?

What happens more often, words that are critical or words that are encouraging?

Encouragement is a moment of inspiration given to another that is both genuine and authentic.

What does encouragement say to you?

You matter

You are important

You have talent, capabilities and strengths

You have gifts

You have value, in self and in ideas

Encouragement is a source of hope.

For every criticism you receive you should get five words of encouragement.

So, what does encouragement do? Do you feel more secure when you are encouraged? Do you feel more confident when you are encouraged? Do you feel like you can take a risk when you are encouraged?

Today do something new – something that makes you feel alive – something that strengthens the core of who you are – something that will generate internal energy – what can you do, when will you start?

You can

 

Do you believe that?  You can!  You will!

 

The power of positivity can transform a life.  The words we use – I can – I will – I am – are words of power.

Start your day with an action – “I will”, or “I can” or a belief “I am”.   Those are words that you own that can not be taken away from you.   I own my destination – I own this minute.  

I can make a difference.  You can!

I am and I will.

You might be missing one thing – a plan!   How will I do what I need to do?

What steps do you need to take to make it happen?

Here is a simple rule to apply to that plan.  Make it a SMART plan.

Make it Specific.

Make it Measureable.

Make it Actionable.

Make it Realistic.

Make it Timely.

That is right make a specific plan – focus.

Make it measurable – how are you going to know you are done?

Make it actionable – the plan has to be something doable.

Make it realistic – do something that is going to matter, has value, and meaning.

Make it timely – start today, and have a date to complete the plan.

Yes, you can!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

nourishment

“No one can give a definition of the soul. But we know what it feels like. The soul is the sense of something higher than ourselves, something that stirs in us thoughts, hopes, and aspirations which go out to the world of goodness, truth and beauty. The soul is a burning desire to breathe in this world of light and never to lose it – to remain children of light.”
Albert Schweitzer from Reverence of Life

“If you want the trees to grow it won’t help to water the leaves.” Thich Nhat Hanh

 

If you want your soul to grow what must you do?

For trees you must water the roots. For people we must nourish the soul. What nourishes your soul?

Sometimes and perhaps often we know what we need to do but for some reason or another can’t seem to do what it is that we need to do. For some reason there is no motivation to engage with life and it may take an external source of energy to begin to set things into motion.

What can you do to nourish your soul?

The time to start is now. This very moment is the only time that you have control of.

Last to change

the last one to know

the answer, the story

“I’m not trying to counsel any of you to do anything really special except to dare to think, and to dare to go with the truth, and to dare to really love completely.”  Buckminster Fuller

There is an old Jewish proverb that says,

“What is truer than truth?”

The answer, “The story”

The truth of story.  What is the story?  What is your part in the story?   You are the actor on a stage for which no one wants to buy a ticket … unless the story is compelling and your story is compelling. 

The truth is in the story – you are the story.   What do you want it to say?

Truth and love, dare to do them completely.  What does that look like for you?

It might be to brace opportunity.

It might be to be happy with who you are.

It might be to recognize your part in the story.

It might be opening your eyes and to see for the first time.

Knowledge – what do I know

 

There are four domains of knowledge.

1. I know what I know.            – I know it.

2. I know that I don’t know.   – Things that I want to learn.

3. I don’t know that I know.   – Things that I know but seem to have forgotten.

4. I don’t know that I don’ t know.  – I don’t know I didn’t know – what is the question?

These are the paradigms of my world, those four pieces of knowledge.

What makes this particularly difficult is that I don’t know what I don’t know.   There are questions that I don’t even know to ask.  There are places where I am blind and lack knowledge.

“Like the blind we grope along the wall,
       feeling our way like men without eyes.”

We group along the wall because we don’t know what to ask.

Do you have any blind spots?

Here is where coaching can help.  Coaching is engaging in authentic dialog with another to help discover and uncover those areas of blindness and working with the person to find a path to more knowledge about themselves, the world, and their part in the story.

Often we can’t discover what we don’t know because we don’t know the questions to ask to help us reveal the answer.  Discovery isn’t always easy.   Discovery though can be infinitely valuable.  Discovery is a path to freedom.

Which quadrant is the biggest?  

What do you want to know?   Do you seek the answers to the questions you don’ t know to ask?

attitudes

A positive attitude about what faces each person every day is a key component in experiencing joy. How would you answer that statement?

When we face trails do we:

Stop blaming circumstances

Stop blaming other people

Think before talking

What do you want to build? Do you want to build a bridge to a new destination or a wall?

You can! You can be!

How do you think about yourself? What do you think of yourself?

If you stepped out of your body and looked at it as another person would what would they see?

What do you want to see that you don’t?

Do you believe in yourself? Why?