Off-roading. It’s nothing new. Except when you do it the way I do it. Not with Jeeps and mountain equipment, bringing along supplies just in case you get caught in the back woods, and certainly not the way Mark Taylor did it. No I am talking about an off-roading of the heart, of taking the same principles we bring to driving off of the beaten path to see what adventures lies around the corner – into all of our life, and all of those life decisions we all have to make, day after day, both big and small.
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Category Archives: General
Cancer Free Day
Today is my day. My cancer free day. So no, it’s not that I am declaring it International Cancer Free Day (although it does have a ring to it, doesn’t it?). But I am reminded and inspired. May 16th. It will be forever seared into my memory. I am celebrating my 12 years clean of cancer (for some reason they mark it on the day of surgery, and don’t consider all of those pesky other things like, I don’t know, chemotherapy and radiation that often follow). Pretty good hey?!
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Loneliness is my Friend
There are days, after a long (or even very long) week of work that when I am finally done with the hustle and bustle and busy and overwhelmed that instead of collapsing into a beautiful fallow period of space with gratitude I feel achingly lonely. Lonely to the point of all I want to do is call a dozen people and see what they are up to, so that I can hang with them and not have to feel that feeling. Lonely. I even feel a bit ashamed as I write it. Feeling lonely must mean I am alone, being alone must mean that I am unworthy of having someone around me. It stops me in my tracks.
It is a sneaky insidious place for me, this lonely ache, because calling a bunch of people, and it is not like I don’t have a lot to choose from, and doing anything with anyone does not relieve the feeling. Sometimes it just makes it worse. And why might that be, you ask (or at least the coach in me hopes that you ask)?
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Last Day – First Day
As the world transitioned from April to May I made a much bigger transition. I went from my last day as an employee (granted only 3 days a week) in a J-O-B to being a fully self-employed consultant/coach/life changer/magic maker. And boy it feels good. Not that it will always feel good, necessarily, and I am painfully aware of the challenges and pit falls of being self-employed (not least of which is the always hustling feeling and the loneliness), but today, on May 1st, my first day driving this new course, it feels mighty freeing.
Yesterday was a different story. I was frantic, disassociated, spacy, overwhelmed – all, as I tried to get through the mountain of pieces that I needed to close up in order to move on. Now I didn’t get them all closed up (and thank goodness I have such a fantastic – now former – employer and boss that I am able to take the time to close out properly), and some might say because of that I don’t get to fully move on, but I don’t mind the slow transition. And I can feel the change in me: change of perspective, change of focus and change of direction. This is new.
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The Coach’s Coach
Well here it is Monday morning and I had an accountability to another set of fantastic coaches whose workshop I just led (you know who you are, and do feel free to comment as you wish).
Speaking of which, and before I get to the homework piece – I just want to say what an honour and privilege it was to lead this workshop for 25 amazing participants who were forging a new trail. I have been working in health care for almost 5 years – and I came to the work because I wanted to make a difference in health care. After my own experiences in 2001 using the system I wanted to give back, and I wanted to improve on the great stuff and help people to work on the parts that are struggling. It didn’t work out exactly as I planned. There were systems issues I struggled with and politics and all the stuff that happens everywhere. But recently, over the last few years it has finally felt like my team is starting to get some traction, to be having an impact, and increasing positivity. YAY!
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The Mark Taylor Effect
After receiving the very hard news that my friend and client Mark Taylor died in a skiing mishap, I am still reeling, in shock at the too early loss of a Good Man.
Now I say that with intention, he was a Good Man, not always an easy man, not a simple man, but a Good Man. Working with him I so came to appreciate the difference. He demanded a higher standard, he was a stand for “going for it”, and this showed up in his coaching. He didn’t want soft and gentle feedback, he wanted the truth, straight between the eyes and he wanted to be pushed to the edge of his ability.
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Welcome to the New Year!
Welcome to the new year. A time when we are all making resolutions, or at least intentions, about how this year can and will be different. What changes we crave and what new ways of being that we imagine would make this year a brave new world.
When I read others versions I get inspired, so here is my fuel for the collective fire …
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2012 Year in Review
Happy Holidays! I would like to say that I am grateful to have been part of your life this past year. And, ever the coach, I also wanted to share what has happened in my life this past year and invite you to take stock of the year we are leaving and consider what you want to create and who you want to be in this new year that is beckoning you toward it… so I have created a year in review sheet, a list of questions, for past and future, for you to ponder.
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What does it mean to say No?
I had homework – taking a look at this inquiry of “what does it mean to say NO?”.
Here is what I discovered from contemplating this…
I am afraid of NO.
In my current struggle (of fighting to get time, nay my life, back) there seem to be two facets.
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Gratitude Sunday
It’s Gratitude Sunday! What are you grateful for this Sunday? Here’s my list…
To see more about what Gratitude Sunday is, check out my original blog post and my Thanksgiving Gratitude Sunday.
