| Volume 1: Issue 10 | January 2009 |
|
In This Issue:
|  | |
|
Sometime
around the end of November, I felt an overwhelming desire to begin
cleaning things out - closets, drawers, cabinets, files. What began
as an attempt to clear clutter and create some order turned into
a full out purging process. I found myself chucking binders of course
materials (some that I had participated in and others that I had
created ) into the recycling bin and noticed a feeling of liberation
that snuck through the initial shock at behavior that is pretty
uncharacteristic of me (I've always been someone who carefully saved
and catalogued just about anything in case I might need it later).
I boxed up more clothing and household gadgets than I realized I
even had and donated them to charitable organizations. I got to
the point that I could stand in front of something and detect whether
it was givng me energy or sucking it from me. Anything that fell
into that second category had to leave. My husband and children
were taken a bit aback at what seemed like a kind of mania to them
(...rest assured they all fell into the first category!) Of course with the holidays, the process was paused a bit, but is now back in full force. Being an inquisitive soul, I coldn't help but ask - what is this all about? And as I listened for the answer, I realized it was something that belonged in this month's leadership briefing, Room to Grow. I hope it inspires you to do whatever is necessary to make space that will allow your new creations to flourish - and enjoy the process alongthe way! Happy New Year to all and a prosperous, meaningful, blessed 2009 ahead!
|
| |
|
Room to Grow Article # 10, Synchronistically Speaking™ series, January 2009 What is it that you are onging to
create in the coming year?
Every year, we are encouraged to set New Year's resolutions. We are a goal driven society that is conditioned to seek more. Our egos desire more money, more fame and prestige, and more stuff. A deeper part of ourselves longs ormore peace, more meaning, and more purpose in our lives. We want to move beyond our previous realizations of what weve alredy accomplished to master newer, better ways of doing things - whether that be what we create in our lives or in our organzations - and as leaders what we are able to inspire others to do as well. Though it is tempting to occupy ourselves with thoughts of how we can go about achieving all of this and what we need to do more of, perhaps what we really need to start with is what we need to do less of - what we need to let go of in order to create the space for something new to come in. We are constantly evolving as human beings - and as communities of human beings. It is so easy to look to the past to define who we are though the things we've already done - goals we've achieved, titles we've acquired, creations we have built. Our previous experiences coagulate to form an identity that is easy to confuse with our true nature. The fact of the matter is, you are not your accomplishments, your creatios, or the sum total of the various roles you play in your life - manager, director, vice president, mother, father, friend, son, daughter, etc. You are much, much more than that. Your potential is limitless. And yet, we limit ourselves by these definitions. They filter the experiences we allow ourselves to have and compel us to define the form that our deepest longings should take. In order to be happy, we reason - we must get that promotion, achieve this or that particular goal, hit that target. So we continue to go through the motions, doing the kinds of things we've always done - on a sort of auto pilot. Some of this may bring satisfaction, and some may bring a growing source of discontentment. We need to attune ourselves to that which brings us the most of what we truly desire and open ourselves to the possibility that what we really want may need to come in a form that has previously been undefined for us. In short, we must allow ourselves to surrender what we think we know to open up to the mystery that is unfolding in each of ourlives. Easier said than done, right? How exactly do you go about letting go of the known when it is all you know?
What are you holding on in your
life that has run its course? Pay attention to the times that you feel constricted, anxious, or tired and in those moments ask what you can let go of. Don't be afraid of the answer. Thought it may frighten you because it introduces an element of the unknown, following these insights will always lead to freedom and liberation.
And of course, any work you do on yourself will serve as a form of leadership for others who, like you, seek their own answers and could benefit from your example of unearthing what is possible and allowing it to take from in new and unexpected ways.. © 2008 Diane Bolden. Synchronistics Coaching & Consulting. All rights reserved. WOULD YOU LIKE TO REPRINT THIS ARTICLE? Diane Bolden is passionate about working with leaders to unleash human potential. An executive coach and organization development professional with over 17 years of experience in leadership development, coaching and consulting, Diane has worked with managers, directors and vice presidents/officers in Fortune 500 companies and non profit organizations to achieve higher levels of performance and success by helping them to bring out the best in themselves and everyone around them. To receive her free special report on Ten Traps Leaders Set for Themselves ~ and How to Avoid Them, visit www.UnleashTheExtraordinary.com.
Published monthly. You are receiving this ezine because at some point in the last few years, you have opted to stay connected to Diane Bolden and/or Synchronistics Coaching & Consulting or have registered for one of our offerings. To change your subscription, see the link at the end of this email. To ensure that you continue to receive emails from us, add Diane@Synchronistics.net to your address book today.
| ||
We
can take our cues from nature. Snakes and other reptiles shed
their skin, trees drop their leaves, and caterpillars create cocoons
in which their froms entirely dissolve before recreating themselves
in the form of butterflies. Even a fish in a bowl cannot stay
in water that contains its excrement - the waste must either be
emptied and replaced with new water, or absorbed by something
else that will remove it from the fish's environment. Without
engaging in these renewing rocesses, these creatures will die.
And so it is of us. Many of us are already walking around encased
in layers of old, dead stuff that needs to be released.
Your
computer can only handle so much data. If you do not delete old
email and get rid of files that have been accumlating over the
years, and if you continue to add new programs without deleting
old one, you will find thta it becomes sluggish and unresponsive.
Just as freeing up space allows your computer to process things
more quickly, so too will clearing you own personal space (whether
of things or thoughts) allow you to access new levels of clarity
and creativity. You will breathe easier, be morepresent in every
action and interaction you partake of, and brin more of who you
really are to what you do. And you will open up the space of possibility
that will allow something to come in that may surprise and delight
you. Rather than being something you slave away for, it will simply
emerge and reveal itself to you.
A GREAT READ!
