The Greatest Teacher is Within You
Life coaching includes a great deal of active listening, it’s not solving anyone’s problems or eradicating anyone’s pain. As life coaches we can only guide you to see things from a different perspective. We cannot fix you … it is you that has to do the work and we provide you with the tools to do so. So, working with a life coach feels more like working with a knowledgeable, experienced and amazing friend who is able to hold a loving space while guiding you through your life experiences.
You can be this great friend to yourself! Practice active listening to your own critical voice and monitoring your thoughts and feelings without judgment. Become your own witness to the process and remain curious.
Active listening is about holding a loving space and allowing ourselves and others to express. When we or the other has finished with the stomp and rant, we can move on and make a conscious choice to let go and come back to our center. It helps to meditated on this question….
“Who do I want to be when the others harm me or when I am unkind to myself?”
We can seldom control what will happen, how others will behave or even the results of our efforts. But we can choose how we choose to feel and react towards those events and situations. Obviously, we can choose a combination of possible reactions.
We all have these human experiences and when we encounter negative behavior whether it is from another, or something we have done to ourselves. Sometimes we might wish to stay with the anger and pain for a while…and that’s OK. However, at some point we will want to come back to our center. I’m sharing a process with you, one that countless of times has reminded me of who I am and returned me to my place of personal peace!
I hope this list is helpful.
- Do I want to do harm?
- Do I want to suffer?
- Do I want to feel hurt?
- Do I want to be in the role of the victim?
- Do I want to become critical and aggressive?
- Do I want to hate?
- Do I want to speak negatively or gossip about the experience?
- Do I want to find ways to be sarcastic or hurtful?
- Do I want to punish?
- Do I want to hold on to my anger?
- Do I want them to correct what has been done – if that is possible?
- Do I want to avoid feelings things fully?
- Do I want to feel safe and worthy regardless of the experience?
- Do I want to know how this might be reflecting some part of my self?
- Do I want to forgive?
- Do I want to let go of all my negative feelings?
- Do I want to imagine and understand the feelings?
- Do I want to remain in light and love?
- Do I want to love unconditionally?
Who do I want to be?
When you approach the path of discovery from the proper perspective, it is good to remember that there is duality in most experiences. Understand that sometimes there is suffering in what we see within others and ourselves. The aim of the self discovery practice is to remain at ease by becoming familiar with your true essence. Remaining at ease with a sense of curiosity of the self is key.
Your attainment in self realization comes from your devotion and diligence in your practice. The greatest teacher is within you. Find a quiet space in nature and you will find this teacher everywhere you are; a sparrow singing in the garden, a lush green forest, a stream in the woods demonstrating how quickly life is passing. With this sacred connection that you have, you will always have guidance and spiritual inspiration. Allow the light to radiate from your heart bringing luminosity to yourself and others. You can unite your vulnerability with the wisdom of your mind offering you complete clarity.
So, if the question is “who do I want to be?” … you have the answer within you. …we all do. Celebrate your milestones!
…Love and Light, Christina
