08.06.09
Posted in Personal Development at 3:12 pm by Administrator
A few weeks ago, I was one of about 200 people who went to hear spiritual teacher from India by the name of Amma. During the course of her discussion, she recited a fable which I will now share with you. Like any storyteller, I’ve added my own spin. But the essence of the story remains unchanged. I hope you find it useful as you look at the recent events that may be playing out in your world.
Once upon a time, a very virtuous and devout man got lost at sea. He landed on a deserted island. Looking at his predicament, he decided to focus his attention on two things – praying and building a shelter. He determined that although he had faith he would soon be rescued, he still needed to protect himself from the elements. Meanwhile, with each piece of straw and leaf he placed on the hut he was building he gave thanks and prayed to for rescue. As the days piled on one after the other, his shelter became stronger, more solid and more intricate. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he said “I’m done.” The weather on that day was very much like it had been on any other day since his arrived on the island — hot. He didn’t even need to look up to see that the sun was shining brightly high up in the clear blue sky. The air was heavy with humidity and there was very little breeze. He decided to go to the lagoon to cool off. As he walked toward the water his prayer for rescue was constantly playing in his mind.
After spending some time swimming and lazing about in the water he finally felt refreshed. He decided to head back to his hut. As he got closer to where his shelter should have been he saw an empty space. He began looking more intently, slightly confused, and thinking that he might have been experiencing an optical illusion. Still, there was nothing left standing where his hut had been just a few hours before. In fact, all he saw were the burned ashes where once had stood his shelter. Shocked, angry and deeply disappointed by what seemed to have been such a callous and senseless act, he asked God why he had betrayed him. “What did I do to make you turn your back on me like this,” he said to the empty space around him? The castaway became so outraged that in that split second, he denounced his faith. Finally, from sheer weariness and fear, he fell into an exhausted sleep.
The following day, he was awakened by the whistle of a ship. In that moment, he realized that he would soon be rescued. When his rescuers finally reached him, he asked them “How did you find me?” They replied,” it was from the smoke signals you sent out.”
My reason for sharing this story with you was not to suggest that you start believing in miracles. Well, perhaps a little. More significantly I am asking you to believe in a modern iteration of the miracle. A phenomenon where you put in the work, and in the end, can trust that what you want will ultimately be yours if it is the best thing for you. Remember our castaway worked for days gathering the right bits of wood, leaves, and sticks to build his shelter. He piled them high through intricate weaves of intertwining patterns so that they could be laid strong. But it also took the heat of the sun shining high up in the sky, at the right angle, to burn with the right amount of intensity for the wood to become overheated and then to burn. It took a ship traveling at the right moment the hut caught fire to notice the smoke coming from a faraway place in order for the lone castaway to be rescued.
In essence, what I am asking you to do is to consciously commit to the work of creating the future you want. Once you’ve done that, I am asking you to trust, even in the absence of any sign to support that you are reaching your rightful destination, that you will be lead to where you need to be.
During these very difficult times, it is important to remember that things are not always what they seem. It should become part of your work to direct your energy toward outcomes that will motivate you toward a vision of the future you want versus focusing on the absence of prospects you may now be experiencing. The truth is that you cannot change the past. However, you can make choices in the present that will change your future and put it in a place that is more constructive and right for you. Over the past few months, Icatalyst has experienced a flood of inquiries from new clients who want to regain control of their life. By helping them to reconnect with their own inner resources we have been able to help them begin to create the future they want. Let us help you do the same thing, whether it’s for you, your company, your professional or civic association, we can develop a program specifically tailored to your needs.
Contact Icatalyst, LLC at info@i-catalyst.us or call 617-872-8511 to help you develop the skills you need to create outcomes that are motivating and empowering.
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09.12.08
Posted in Personal Development at 6:17 pm by Administrator
This entry is taken from an article in the Icatalyst, LLC Fall 2008 Newsletter. To learn more about the company and the author log on to www.i-catalyst.us
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If you’re trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. I’ve had them; everybody has had them. But obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it. Michael Jordan
It’s almost impossible to arrive at this time of year without contemplating the bright new horizons that lie ahead, especially the opportunities to learn new things. Even the country is abuzz with new possibilities. For one, there is the upcoming presidential election with the first African- American presidential nominee and the first woman vice presidential candidate. Wherever you sit on the political aisle, there is much to consider. Also, as a nation, we seem to have turned a corner with respect to how we look at the environment and our use of energy. Serious conversations can now be had about research for alternative sources of energy beyond fossil fuels. Finally, the economy is also a big issue that looms over everything. The general uncertainty it creates have forced many of us to look at our spending through critical eyes that now routinely discern the important from the trivial.
Change is always followed or brought about by uncomfortable life adjustments. Over the past few months, an increasing number of clients, both corporate and individual, have approached us with concerns about the economic downturn. As a professional services firm, we are also very much aware of the changes in client spending and the need to operate our own organizational resources more efficiently. We believe in the added benefit we provide to our clients. Therefore we stay focused on those objectives. If you are facing challenges in your business or personal life due to the economic downturn, we would like to invite you to look at those setbacks with new eyes. Go ahead, flip the paradigm you see in front of you and consider the roadblocks you are experiencing as opportunities; your chance to learn new lessons and along the way, to grow a little.
Using Challenges to Fuel Your Best Work
Let’s face it, most of us learn best and in fact, become our best through challenges. During those times, we are forced to peel away the layers of excess and pretence to trust only what is essential and real. What is essential and real in your life? What is essential and real for your business? What are your core values? Renowned author, trainer and developer of the field of Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Robert Dilts says that values are associated with worth, meaning and desire; they are a primary source of internal motivation. He goes on to suggest that when people’s values are met or matched, they feel a sense of satisfaction, harmony, or rapport with the world around them. Conversely, when their values are not met or matched, people often feel dissatisfied, incongruent, or sometimes even personally violated.
The goals you set for yourself and your family are, in fact, the tangible expressions of your values. While having money is a part of that, and during economically challenging times such as these it is easy to feel that a core value is being violated. Ask yourself why you want money? When challenged to look at the subject, very few people say that they want money for its own sake. For most money usually represents something deeper and more essential to their core. Money usually represents deeper values around having a sense of security, protection, and well-being. Money is the tangible belief that expresses those values. During hard economic times, when the thing you choose as the tangible expression your core values about security, protection, and well-being is at risk, you can feel like Linus in the Peanuts series – that someone is taking away your blanket. Where else can you find your security?
You might remind yourself that money is just a symbol that represents your core values. It is not, in itself, what is valuable. Money may be useful and necessary; after all we do live in a physical world. But is money essentially valuable? If you accept that conclusion, what other symbols might you use to represent your core values? If you are applying this question to your business, consider the idea of loyalty as exemplified by employees who stay with you when they could go elsewhere, for bigger paychecks and benefits, because they believe in your dreams. Consider the notion of integrity, as seen by the fact that you always pay your vendors and workers first. Or, that you are doing work that matters to you. If you want to apply this principle to a personal situation, consider perhaps that you have deep friendships grounded in mutual respect. You have people around who support your dreams. Or, perhaps, that you and those you love are well sheltered and are in good health.
Differentiating Between What Is Symbolic And What Is Valuable
If you take an honest look at your life and think about what you truly value, you will likely find that you have enough. You have enough, for now, to make it through the difficult times. You may not do so with the financial assurance of a Bill Gates or Warren Buffet, but you will make it through with all of who you are, so far. So slow down the train of discontent by not going too far into the future. Look at your life as it is now and then ask yourself: do I have enough of what I need for today? For most people the answer to that question will be yes. If it is not, ask yourself: what can I do now, today, to make sure that I have what is essential?
A good gardener knows that plants can only grow strong and remain healthy when they are trimmed of unnecessary branches and leaves. What is superfluous in your life? What needs to be pruned back in order allow your creativity and true essence to shine through?
Email us at info@i-catalyst.us and let us help you answer those questions.
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08.22.08
Posted in Personal Development at 2:45 pm by Administrator
Icatalyst in Living Action…
As a coaching and consulting firm we focus our efforts on helping clients break through barriers and limiting beliefs in order to effectuate the change they want in their life, work and/or business. In our mind, whether the client is an individual or a corporation, the work is the same. It is about creating positive change. The only differences that exists among clients, whatever the type, are the methodologies we use to help our clients reach their desired outcome. We always begin by creating a safe space to allow change to happen. We encourage and empower our clients to listen and hear what is going on internally in order to uncover the choices that will work best for their end-goal. Finally, together our team helps clients identify and prioritize strategies that will move them to a desired outcome. Always, as we enter into a relationship with our clients, the working assumption is that each entity is already resourceful and whole. Our job at Icatalyst, LLC is to help those who cross out path remember, believe and tap into that fundamental truth. By identifying, tailoring and using the appropriate tools and resources at our disposal, we help our clients to create the changes that matter most to them.
Our intention for starting this blog is to create an online community that allows us to communicate with existing and future customers about issues of personal and organizational development, human potential and the journeys we take as we strive to clarify and live a life of purpose. We want to hear your thoughts about these issues at they play out in your world. Hopefully, you will help our community to grow by encouraging your friends and colleagues to post their comments for discussion. Over the next while I also look forward to sharing my thoughts and general impressions about issues of change and the process of transition, and human development. Over ten years ago, I began a journey that would help me uncover my life purpose. As I have gone around the country and even the world, and talked about living a life of purpose, I have found that many people have benefited from the ideas I have shared. I look forward to sharing some of these thoughts with you in the coming weeks. Much of what I have done over the past ten years has been to slowly peel the layers of what living a life of purpose means for me. I have now reached a point where I can unerringly state that my life purpose and best gift is helping others uncover and live their truth — their passion.
Everyone on earth is here for a reason. We each have a purpose, something that we are here to learn and also to contribute to the world. In my practice as a coach and consultant, I often see clients, many that others would consider very professionally accomplished and successful, who say that they know they’re here for something greater than currently exists in their life. They just don’t know what it is. My job is to help them reconnect with the part of themselves that does know — the part that has always known what they are here to do. My belief and experience tell me that that on some level we do know the answer(s) to this burning question. The impediment to articulating it is often in the fact that the answer doesn’t always come in concrete terms like I am here to be a carpenter, doctor, pilot or hospital administrator. Sometimes it may. More commonly though, the answer comes to us through larger ideas like I want to help children, the poor, alleviate sickness, create communities of peace around the world. All those are grand ideas with very broad impacts. The challenge we face in discerning a purpose is to look at the broad concepts we have or sense about ourselves and match them against our skills, talents, specific orientations and interests. The idea is to make the intangible tangible. After all, our purpose is expressed in action. It is not simply a state of being or living. It is in living action that purpose is expressed.
Let me know what you think. Until next time…
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