Before I get into this, please let me clarify something important.  Just because I am a Coach and I help people win in their Game of Life, my own life is full of lessons.  In other words, I am not perfect!

Whew, now that we’ve got that out into the open once and for all, I had an important reminder today about one of my own challenges.  Sometimes I do not know the difference between when I’m “in the flow” and when I’m “powering through”. Because this is one of my “things”, I receive a lesson every once in a while, like I did today.  It turns out I have been powering through whiplash for the past 2 weeks.  Thank goodness I can laugh at myself.  It’s nothing serious.  I know that with some self care, it will heal.  But is is a great reminder….

So, what is “powering through”?  First of all, I’m going to make a distinction between power and force.  For those of you who have read Hawkins’ Power vs Force, it’s really force that I’m writing about.

My first conscious experience of “forcing” anything came in my early twenties.  I shared a house with a couple of room-mates, and every once in a while, something in the house would break.  One of my roomies and I both considered ourselves pretty handy, and after a few instances of making things worse by trying to force something to work, one of us had a brief moment of awareness that went something like this.  “We could ask one of the guys for help, or we can just force it again and see what happens!”  Laughter followed and we almost never forced anything again.  Whenever we came close, one of us would exclaim “Let’s force it!” and that usually stopped the madness.

Well, twenty years later, I’m still me.

There is an up-side for those of us who regularly power through.  We get stuff done.  And I could make a pretty good case that there’s more value in that than staring at our navels.  The down-side is that we who power through are usually too tired to celebrate our accomplishments.  If we notice them at all.

So, what do people power through?

We power through our bodies and eventually our health. My ignored whiplash that inspired this article is a perfect example.  We think we are too busy to pause and take care of ourselves.  Fortunately, I’ve learned to pay attention, get my lesson and will immediately make taking care of myself a top priority.  Health, as it is said, is the first wealth.  I make it my habit to maintain my body so I don’t have to spend much on repairs.

We power through “To-do lists”. A whole generation has been conditioned to think that if they could just manage their time wisely, the world will be their oyster.  This is out-dated thinking.  The temporary satisfaction of ticking items off a to-do list pales in comparison to getting in the flow of a winnable game.  When you know what your game is and why you’re playing, to-do lists are unnecessary.  Time management becomes energy management and work becomes play.  If you find yourself thinking “I’ll be happy/celebrate/take time off/see my friends as soon as I get the next thing done,” this is you.  Guess what?  It’s never all done.

We power through inner resistance. This is the big one.  We try to power through inner resistance using our will-power, but inner resistance always wins.   I’m reminded of a time early in one of my early careers, when I powered through every day.  On a semi-conscious level, I knew that I didn’t belong in the role I was in.  There were all kinds of signals that I willed myself to ignore.  I forced it and forced it and forced it – all the way to the top.  When I inevitably ran out of energy, I ended up at the bottom in a heap.

Powering through, or forcing it is not an elegant way to live.  Fortunately, we who power through tend to be very resilient.  We get back up, dust ourselves off and carry on.  With a little bit of awareness and a fantastic Coach to keep us playing to win, the world is the oyster we want it to be.  Now, where’s my ice pack?  It’s time to rest.

PLAY BIG – EMBRACE CHALLENGE – LOVE LIFE!

Coach Laura

Photo location:  The Subway, Zion National Park, Utah

Did you know that in order to change someone’s life (including your own), all you have to do is see the value in a person and then treat them according to their worth?

I remember so clearly my first significant breakthrough when I learned to see my own worth.  In a moment, I was shown that I was “worth the effort”.  As I broke through the limiting belief that had kept me playing small, I remember feeling like a million pounds had lifted from my shoulder.  My life was changed forever.

Tonight I was reflecting on a conversation I had earlier today.  Did you know that you can help change someone’s life by seeing their tremendous value and by treating them according to their worth?  Sometimes the way that someone else perceives you can provide enough contrast to your own experience that growth and change becomes inevitable.  Because I now see my own worth, I can easily see yours.  I didn’t learn how to do that overnight.  It was a lot of work to get here, but I assure you it was worth it.

It never occurred to me until tonight that by showing that kind of respect to myself, I was automatically doing the same for another.  It brings to mind the saying that you can never truly love another until you love yourself.  I used to read that and think “blah blah blah”.  I didn’t get it.  I get it now.

Think about the people in your life who have seen your true worth, even when you couldn’t.  How did they make you feel?  Was it a teacher, a coach, a parent, a friend?  Who was it that helped pick you up and help you see your greatness?  Isn’t that the greatest gift we can give another?

For many of us, it takes a while to embrace and internalize the idea that each and every one of us have something of value to offer.  We need to hear it a few times before it sinks in and becomes our own.  Given that most people look to external events and other people to define themselves, tonight I’m asking myself this question:

What would be the impact if we all helped another see their greatness today?

Good night!

Coach Laura

PLAY BIG – EMBRACE CHALLENGE – LOVE LIFE!

(Photo location:  Spring morning, Glenmore Road, Kelowna)

My new website is up, and my blog is ready to go.  I am ready to hit the road!  Before I kick it into gear, it is time to celebrate.  So many people forget to celebrate their accomplishments.  I include myself in that group – at least I was!  Now I understand the importance of enjoying the moment when everything comes together.  In an ever expanding game, there is always more to do.  We run the risk of becoming task-oriented and slipping into a mode I’ll call “work”, when it is so much more energizing to “play”.  I’ve been playing with this blog, and I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I do.  This blog is where I intend to share what is on my mind and happening as I continue with my journey.

Each entry will contain an article and one of my images – photography is one of my passions and talents.  I have years of accumulated images from my travels, and in my backyard.  Some of you will enJOY my photography.  Others will be inspired and provoked by what is on my mind.  Either way, as I move continuously towards fuller expression and expansion, I will become a better Coach, and you will become a better Player.

Let the games begin!

Coach Laura

PLAY BIG – EMBRACE CHALLENGE – LOVE LIFE!

(Photo location – Millimeters above the ground, between Keremeos and Cawston, BC)