One Size Fits All?...really?

When I go out to shop and see some clothes with the tag 'One size fits all' I put that item back on the rail.  It'll never be a tag that works for me and yet for someone else it might be perfect.

Then it got me thinking about 'one size fits all' and 'coaching' and how many ways there are to communicate.  There are tons of opinions on the internet about the Law of Attraction, The Secret, vision boards and SMART goals.  Some cite that the power of positive thinking is an impossible task, while others view the law of attraction as a notion that isn't realistic.

Vision boards are also up for the opinion poll, and some go so far as to outline experiments conducted that show how a vision board may provide a sense of satisfaction among people but that it doesn't ultimately result in more success.

So it got me thinking and some of those thoughts were as follows:

1 - A vision board provides people with a chance to play.  It frees up their inhibitions, permits them to dream BIG and provides some focus for getting clear on what they want to go for.

2 - A positive attitude can help them to take action and ensure that goals extracted from the vision board can be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achieveable, Realistic and Timely)

3 - The idea that energetically we influence outcomes through thoughts can help us to understand the simple principle that what we put our attention on we get more of.  Minds will wander, thoughts will dip, energy shifts...but being AWARE that this impacts on our ability to think or focus and take action to or away from a goal can be extremely helpful.

4 - Lots of options being available to people means there is a stronger likelihood that a change for the better can be made in their lives because the message behind all of this is about being responsible for your own life and how you live it.  

If all of these approaches to coaching dispelled with the myth that one is better than the other, then essentially you just have a good solid honest message told a number of different ways.As far as communication goes one size does NOT fit all so however the message reaches you, if it helps you to shift your thinking or move to act positively then it is doing the job it is meant to do.  It's helping.

Changes

Over the last little while I've had David Bowies 'changes' song in my head. So with this prompting of a song the internet was searched over a period of days in order to get any insights on what energies are currently effecting us. What I found was a fantastic range of websites offering up various forms of the same message. We're changing. We're evolving out of the ego, whether we want to or not. It started a while back and this year is effectively the time where we begin to fully integrate all these changes and live as a more enlightened and evolved being. Everyone is going to read it differently, simply because we are all experiencing the journey differently. No one is going through the same experience because in this we are truly unique. One strong message however is that the change is happening with our without our consent! Any emotion or belief you've been holding on to that prevents you from moving or becoming enlightened, will be challenged...and finally released. For some this will be completely obvious and a liberating experience, one where they fully engage with what is occuring even though it might be challenging. For others it will sound like hippy talk and the resistance to it can be expressed as anger, frustration and lashing out at others. Whatever way you find yourself experiencing this energy, it's something that is happening to everyone. Its purpose is to remind us that we are all connected and that connection needs to be reset. We need to remember our connection to one another and realise that we all count. No one person is special or better than another. As the new you emerges during this phase, be kind to yourself and realise that we are all on this journey. Be kind to others without taking on their energy, as it prevents them from learning their own truth and the lessons to help them make change happen.

Understanding Emotions

(image courtesy of http://wiaob.blogspot.com/)

Oprahs site can be unbelievably hard to navigate through as there are so many links and brilliant bits to read it's easy to end up far from the original page you wanted to view!
Subscribing cuts this problem out to some degree. So this week I found a brilliant article in my emails from the site about understanding your emotions surrounding reaching for your dreams.
As a coach, when setting goals for myself or with a client, the focus can be more placed on motivating and maintaining a positive frame of reference to get to the end. Via this article however, the flip side of this was examined. It made for some really thought provoking reading!
What really struck me is how often people, myself included, just won't LET themselves get what they want. They have the goal, they go for it, and then they stop short. They give it a shot but perhaps don't fully succeed, then the goal/dream is left alone with citings of valid reasons for why it wasn't meant to be.
So by falling short or giving up, what emotions are we resisting or dodging? Even when it gets hard, what are we most scared of and what are we avoiding?
There are 4 approaches to dealing with it, and I recommend giving it a shot (copy link to go to the page - http://www.oprah.com/spirit/How-to-Reach-Your-Dreams-Understanding-Your-Emotions/3).
It can be really refreshing to sit with yourself in honest conversation and greet the fearful emotions that hold you back. It may not result in you rocket launching yourself into your goals but it does lighten the load and get you moving again.

Seek truth and you will find a path. ~Frank Slaughter

We do not err because truth is difficult to see. It is visible at a glance. We err because this is more comfortable. ~Alexander Solzhenitsyn

Zen and what is it

Zen - by Tommie Kelly Visit: www.tommiekelly.com for more art
Tommie Kelly went all zen this week on the www.irishcomicnews.com website. It was in fact, an inspired moment of truth and clarity if I'm to be honest, and sums up the highs and lows of a journey in any creative field. It could be said that the last couple of years have sparked a 'knowing your own truth' journey for a lot of people on the planet. Connecting with your creative truth is a big part of that journey.
People often say that artistic skills are 'talent' and people are born with it. Well I firmly believe this isn't the case. It is something you can learn, and like other skills, sometimes there can be more of an affinity with a particular pursuit than another...but without applying time, energy and focus on it then it would simply cease to be a well honed skill.
It can be easy to become disheartened during the down times of the cycles that occur with creativity and any other part of your life for that matter. There is however, one truth that remains - this too shall pass. Not going to go all holy here, but this just about sums up any bad patch or low energy or uninspired spell you find yourself going through.
Everything has cycles, stick it out long enough and you might start to see patterns forming! When that happens it can be reassuring and also invaluable as a way to find the door out. :)