My neighbor is a Girl on the run. No, she’s not running from the law. Nor from her past! She’s part of a wonderful program whose mission is to educate and prepare girls for a lifetime of self-respect and healthy living (girlsontherun.org).
I spoke with her recently to learn more about what the program has done for her, and it appears to have done so much more than simply teach her how to run. In fact, what the program has truly done is given her the knowledge that she can do whatever it is she wants to. That by committing to something, she can make it happen, learn something new, master something, grow, succeed, and more.
In her own words, she is a girl who is much more comfortable reading a book than engaging in any athletic activity. In fact, running doesn’t come naturally to her. And maybe she wasn’t the best runner when she started. But now, I see her running with friends, running with her family, and also running with my 7- and 9-year old neighbors. Her enthusiasm and commitment is catching -- I half expect to see our whole neighborhood on the run at some point this season!
It’s a beautiful example of what can happen when someone makes a commitment to themselves and also openly and happily shares share that commitment with the people around them. It’s inspiring and motivating, and in the end, everyone benefits from supporting her, running with her, and being inspired to also do something for them.
Very often, we make commitments to ourselves that we keep secret and hidden. We do it for a number of reasons. Maybe we’re scared of declaring something and then failing. Maybe we think people won’t understand why we’re doing what we’re doing. However, in keeping something like that hidden, we do a great job of making sure that we’re alone in the process. And in the same way it takes a village to raise a child, it also takes a village to create and support personal change and transformation.
So today, I invite you to think about some commitments that you’ve been hiding and to bring them out in the open. If it’s scary, start with the one person you trust most in life. See how it feels to share it and notice how all of a sudden, by outing your commitments, things start to naturally happen that support you. Before long, I suspect you’ll be “on the run” as well – towards the life that you’ve wanted all these years.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Thursday, April 1, 2010
A Close Encounter with Greatness
I had a close encounter with greatness this weekend, during “The Greatness Choice” workshop by the Growth Edge Group (http://www.growthedgegroup.com/).
I was there because I’m tired of dancing around on tiptoe around my own potential, and I was hoping that the group nature of a workshop would kick my ass and get me into some serious action around my life’s goals.
The room was full of people who were excited, anxious, curious, nauseous, confident, wondering and more! It’s amazing to be in a room with people who, just in the simple act of signing up for the workshop, have indicated that they do believe that they are great. For every person who had decided they deserved to be great, there are many more that passed on the opportunity to claim it for themselves.
So I went there, hoping to be struck by some kind of epiphany about my greater purpose in life, my calling, so to speak. That didn’t come. However, what did become clear to me were the following:
I don’t know exactly how my journey will end. At the beginning of this year, I made a big commitment to growing my business. And even though it’s growing in fits and starts, and I have more questions than answers about my own marketing, what is happening is that I’m getting out in the world, I’m learning, and I’m evolving. So while I don’t know exactly where my journey will end, I do know how I want it to be right now. I want it to be one of perseverance, creativity and bold steps.
I do know that I trust my greatness. I work with my clients a lot on identifying and articulating their unique selling proposition, the unique value that they might bring to an organization. At the same time, there is a piece of it that I truly believe cannot be defined by words. It’s a feeling, an essence, an energy that comes into play when a person is truly able to express what’s on their mind in a way that is authentic – that is truly human.
During the workshop, I was the happiest workshop dork ever, blurting, splurting, crossing out words vehemently and trying out things without knowing if they were “correct.” It made me laugh. It made me sing and dance and squeal, and I FELT ALIVE. As far as I’m concerned, I had tapped into my greatness in a great big way. In fact, it’s clear that if I’m to be fulfilled in my life, it will be through play, laughter, creativity, expression and adventure.
So okay, I get it and I accept it!
I’m not always going to have a sense of all the little stuff I need to do to create a life I love. However, I do trust that as long as I’m in alignment with the big stuff – my values, my essence, my energy – the small stuff will follow, effortlessly, easily and successfully.
So my question for today is: What kind of big stuff is guiding you? And what kind of small stuff can you stop obsessing on?
I was there because I’m tired of dancing around on tiptoe around my own potential, and I was hoping that the group nature of a workshop would kick my ass and get me into some serious action around my life’s goals.
The room was full of people who were excited, anxious, curious, nauseous, confident, wondering and more! It’s amazing to be in a room with people who, just in the simple act of signing up for the workshop, have indicated that they do believe that they are great. For every person who had decided they deserved to be great, there are many more that passed on the opportunity to claim it for themselves.
So I went there, hoping to be struck by some kind of epiphany about my greater purpose in life, my calling, so to speak. That didn’t come. However, what did become clear to me were the following:
I don’t know exactly how my journey will end. At the beginning of this year, I made a big commitment to growing my business. And even though it’s growing in fits and starts, and I have more questions than answers about my own marketing, what is happening is that I’m getting out in the world, I’m learning, and I’m evolving. So while I don’t know exactly where my journey will end, I do know how I want it to be right now. I want it to be one of perseverance, creativity and bold steps.
I do know that I trust my greatness. I work with my clients a lot on identifying and articulating their unique selling proposition, the unique value that they might bring to an organization. At the same time, there is a piece of it that I truly believe cannot be defined by words. It’s a feeling, an essence, an energy that comes into play when a person is truly able to express what’s on their mind in a way that is authentic – that is truly human.
During the workshop, I was the happiest workshop dork ever, blurting, splurting, crossing out words vehemently and trying out things without knowing if they were “correct.” It made me laugh. It made me sing and dance and squeal, and I FELT ALIVE. As far as I’m concerned, I had tapped into my greatness in a great big way. In fact, it’s clear that if I’m to be fulfilled in my life, it will be through play, laughter, creativity, expression and adventure.
So okay, I get it and I accept it!
I’m not always going to have a sense of all the little stuff I need to do to create a life I love. However, I do trust that as long as I’m in alignment with the big stuff – my values, my essence, my energy – the small stuff will follow, effortlessly, easily and successfully.
So my question for today is: What kind of big stuff is guiding you? And what kind of small stuff can you stop obsessing on?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)