My Uniqueness, My Greatness

I am a big believer that we all have a Life Purpose or Soul Purpose, that is different for each and every person. We all have our Unique Gifts and I believe that when we are in the space that allows us to express our Uniqueness and Greatness, we feel alive. And the opposite of this is also true. 

I have been asking myself what is “My Uniqueness, My Greatness For The Glory Of God”? In being Christian I do believe that God has made us as unique beings (in his image) and by following the guidance of the Holy Spirit, listening to The Call, we can live our truth and serve God for the greater good of all.

Thanks to the Process of my Coaching Course I was able to discover my Life Purpose as “To Love and Serve, to Spread The Yellow, to Make A Difference” and lately I have been asking myself, am I living this everyday - or how can I better live this every day.

I love my work Coaching my Clients - it is wonderful and such an honour to be a Coach. The work that I love is helping Clients access their own truth, where they can be true to themselves in the daily lives - in their relationships and their work. I am committed to being an Integral Practitioner and so I challenge myself to live my highest potential by also being true to myself.

I have been working for four days in a company as a Team Leader/ Project Leader. I have enjoyed my job - I understand the work, I feel that I do it well, the company is local to my home - and yet I do not feel alive or energised. And in reflection, I feel that there is not the room to fully express my Gifts, my Self, my all, My Uniqueness, My Greatness.

I have been reading Man’s Search For Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl which is based on his experience and learnings of being in a concentration camp and a quote I love is “it did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us.”

I have been praying, asking God, where can I serve, and asking him to open up opportunities for me. And I have been sitting with a sense of peace, trusting in God.

There have been signs and I am glad that I paid attention.

There was a small hint of possibilities when I was watching the clip on the Nature Care website from one of my previous teachers and she was talking about the Life Coaching Course and the opportunity to either work for yourself or use Life Coaching skills in a workplace.  Hmm... this sense of possibilities resonated with me...

The first real sign was how uncomfortable I was feeling at work when people in my workplace were making jokes and remarks about minority groups and people who have disabilities. I know that they were harmless remarks and were said without meaning to be offensive - and yet I felt so anxious and stressed every time I heard these remarks. My oldest friend is in a wheelchair and I am so aware of her huge ability and how amazing she is - and so any comments about people with disabilities makes me feel that I can’t breathe. This reaction got me thinking...

At Church I asked the Pastor to pray for me and she prayed that conversations would take place and there would be new possibilities for my Lifework.

I then went to a Coaching Workshop and was talking about my reaction to what was happening at work. Then after meeting fellow Coaches who were working in organisations where there is more room for them to share their skills, I felt Inspired to look at Seek on the computer. At that time I intuitively felt The Call to look at Recruitment Services for people who are unemployed and may also have disabilities. Instantly I felt excited and passionate and without any hesitation I started applying for positions.

I am now so excited that I have found a great new job. On Monday 18 July 2011 I start a new role as a Group Facilitator for job seekers and a Placement Consultant for adults and teenagers with short-term and medium-term disabilities. I am so excited that I feel that I will be able to use my Training and Life Coaching skills on a daily basis. I am not sure where this Journey will lead me, and I feel excited that I can show up with love and help people to see their own Uniqueness and Greatness so that they feel confident and Empowered to be the Creators of their own lives.

I feel excited that I am answering The Call of my Soul.

I have been reading Soul Currency by Ernest D. Chu, another brilliant book, and I love all of the stories that highlight the Uniqueness and Greatness of individuals:

- Walter Simonson studied a major in Geology, and everyone who did not know him thought that he was very serious - however he had a gift for drawing fantasy stories and on Saturday nights he would share his comics with his friends - his parents wanted him to study medicine - today Walt Simonson is one of the most beloved comic book illustrators and writers, his joy and talent show in illustrations in The Hobbit, Thor, X-Factor and The Making of a Sorcerer - he has reached the top of his profession

- As a young six-year old girl Author J.K.Rowling would write fantasy stories about rabbits in her diary, and through following her Soul Purpose and using her Uniqueness and Greatness has successfully written Harry Potter, a series that people all over the world love

- Kenny Kramm worked as a pharmacy technician in his family business, and when he had his second child, his little girl at only ten days old had a massive brain hemorrhage - Kenny and his Wife tried to give their Daughter medicines to help manage her cerebral palsy and seizures, yet their daughter would spit out the awful-tasting medicines - Kenny then started experimenting with harmless additives and flavours, where the drive to help his daughter and then the idea of helping other children has encouraged him in his work - today FLAVORx Inc is the leader in flavourings for medicines

- John Wood took a vacation from his high-stress job as a Microsoft Marketing Executive - he also had an intention to find meaning in his life - he went hiking in the Himalayas and visited a school where he noticed the school’s library only had a few books left behind by hikers - John Wood soon resigned from Microsoft and established Room To Read, an organisation dedicated to foster literacy in countries affected by poverty

- John Robbins went to Harvard and was being groomed to be President of the family business, Baskin-Robbins, one of the world’s largest ice cream producers - but he believed that ice cream contributed to “disharmony with our environment” and wrote the prize winning Diet For A New America.

Mother Teresa once said “It is not the magnitude of our actions but the amount of Love that is put into them that matters.” Love is what will Inspire me as I start my new job and commit to making a difference.

I Wish

The other day I went into Paddington to get some makeup for my wedding. As I do not wear makeup very often and like a very natural look, I have been looking for a makeup artist and the right makeup. And after meeting a lovely beautician on Thursday night, my journey took me into Paddington.

I am not a big shopper and yet when I arrived at Paddington, I heard the faint whisper of a Part of me that said “I Wish”... I was shocked - the voice said “I Wish I was rich...” In a second I thought about how I would go to the day spa all the time for facials and massages and “I Wish I was rich to go into all of the fancy clothing boutiques” and ”I Wish I had the confidence to go into the fancy boutiques”. And then in an instant I thought “I Wish I was more beautiful”,” I Wish I had perfect skin”, ” I Wish I had perfect features”, “ I Wish I had beautiful long hair”, “I Wish I looked all dressed up and fancy like the ladies passing by me”.

I was very curious about this Part of me...

Normally I sit in a place of Gratitude and Thankfulness for all I am and all I have. Very big in my Awareness is the fact that so many people live in poverty and struggle for their basic needs or even just people who are affected by sickness and disabiity. And yet here I was wishing for more.

And it is not that I can’t afford clothes in those boutiques - maybe one or two pieces (maybe a scarf) if I made it a Priority - yet it actually comes back to the larger Part of me that does not really like shopping. And yet I have noticed that there is this Part of me that is become louder and wants to wear nice things and wear makeup and look pretty. For a long time I did competitive Running, it was always about being faster - short hair, skinny, Running shoes, Running clothes, Running, training, competing - very Masculine and Yang. I even remember a boyfriend at the time who grew sick of my tracksuits and wished I wore more skirts - I still remember him saying that to me. And after I hurt my back I started wearing shapeup joggers to help my back, and they do make a difference - and yet now I want different. Now my Feminine Part of me, my Yin, is coming more alive, back alive - where I am finding myself wanting to buy magazines, wear pretty blouses, wanting to paint my nails - and even travelling to Paddington to get the right makeup that is right for me.

These thoughts in my head of “I Wish” only lasted about one or two minutes. I was then able to return to the Part of me that knows I am so fortunate. And then I also sat in a Space of what is really most important to me - what “I Wish” for the most - “I Wish my Mum didn’t have cancer”, this is the big number one - and “I Wish we have a baby soon”, another big, very important Wish.

Being in the Space of “I Wish” made me think of the Serenity Prayer - “God grant me the Serenity to Accept the things I cannot Change; the Courage to change the things I can; and the Wisdom to know the difference.” For me there are many things outside my control, some of the big things. And if my greatest ”I Wish” is about Family for me, I can continue to treat this as a Priority in my life.

And if I am finding my Spirit come alive and some excitement regarding matters of the Feminine, it does not mean that I have to get caught up in Consumerism, Materialism, Shopping - yet I can enjoy my trip to Paddington to buy makeup, I can buy and enjoy flicking through magazines, and I am really enjoying now that I am back again wearing more dresses, embracing my Feminine. And it doesn’t mean I have to spend a lot of money - I even enjoyed a look at St Vincent De Paul’s at Paddington and found a really nice designer blouse and also a dress - all for the total price of $18 - I was Excited. I don’t really care about the “designer” bit, although there was a Part of me quietly Proud as if I had bought it at full price - and the main Part of me loved the bargain. Mostly I always love the opportunity to be on a treasure hunt to see what surprises and delights me in second hand stores and I love the chance to Recycle and Reuse.

The “I Wish” related to the Feminine Part of me is loving colour and fabrics and fashion. My Spirit is highlighting that I could get back to sewing again - I remember with fond memories sewing clothes -back when I was about 16-20 years of age. I used to love sewing dresses and wearing them out. Perhaps a new hobby when the time is right. And I am also interested in expressing my creativity through photography - another hobby I once loved.

I am not going to say” I Wish I had more time”.   I know I have the power to manage my time so that I can focus on my Priorities and Values.

I just realised that if I stay in the “I Wish” Space for too long (more than a couple of minutes), I am almost sitting in powerlessness, almost waiting for someone to rescue me or make my dreams come true.

Instead if I use the “I Wish” Space as a window to when my Spirit comes alive and when I feel Inspired, I can decide if this is really my heart’s desire.  There is almost a childhood Innocence here -  I can ask my Innocence Part of me what I really want, and in the quietness listen to my inner voice.

For ages and always, since I have stopped Running over the last couple of years, whenever I see a runner, I always say to myself “I Wish I could run again”, and so today on my walk, I allowed my Self to enjoy a few minutes of Running, in between Walking, enough to make me feel the aliveness and Joy of Running. Wonderful!!!

From the “I Wish” Space I can also check to see what is underneath the “I Wish” and show Curiosity of how I can fulfil Needs for my Self, my Soul. As an example the “I Wish I was rich and I would go to day spas more often”, I know this for me is about yes being pampered, but most importantly just wanting time to relax and have “me time”.  And so this morning I made it a Priority to get up early and take a walk in nature, and this evening made time for a relaxing bath.

And so from the “I Wish” Space, which feels so distant and far away, I am able to move to a place of feeling Excited and Empowered.

Actively Involved

"If you're not Actively Involved in getting what you want, you don't really want it." Peter McWilliams

The words "Actively Involved" speak to me.  I have realised that I have been spending a lot of time in Observation of myself and Observation of the beauty in the world.  And this has been a wonderful place, very relaxing, a place of peace and calm - definitely being led by my Yin in my Intuition and Feelings.  My Man was also saying last night that there is so much that I want to do and get Excited by so much and yet I may need to focus.  And this is true of me.

I also resonate with these words

- "Now is the Time to Focus Your Energy

We are constantly faced with competing demands,

and easily distracted by the noise and the interruptions.

To be effective in our lives and work, we must focus.

We must decide on our Priorities.

We must channel our energy and attend to the task before us." Patrick Lindsay

What differentiates Coaching from Counselling is the focus on the Future and the attention to ACTION.  And I have a Commitment to be True and Genuine on my Journey with attention to Self-Development.   I am Excited that I have received a whole package of notes on "Life Quality and Design" - this is perfect timing for me - I am Excited when I read about the opportunity to write an Ideal Scene, to look again at my Wheel of Life, to take an Energy Leaks Inventory and complete a Tackling Procrastinations Task Sheet.  These are wonderful Tools for me and Tools for my Clients.  I am Excited that I can be Actively Involved in designing my Life.  And I Welcome this Opportunity.

I am VERY HAPPY that tonight I finally took the Step to become Actively Involved in supporting Communities living in Poverty.  Tonight my Man and I sponsored Ann, a 6 year old little girl living in Laos.  We chose to Sponsor a Child through Plan Australia.  What I love about their work is their Commitment to Children - "Child centred community development is the term we use to describe how we aim to do our development work. It's a rights based approach to development where we support communities to develop the structures and skills they need to provide a safe and healthy environment in which children are able to realise their full potential.  It is our belief, based on many years of experience, that this can be achieved only if children’s best interests are at the heart of everything we do and if children themselves actively participate in the process."

Originally I was looking at Vietnam or Thailand or Nepal, and I have also been recently drawn to Laos when I found information on the Sunshine School that seems very advanced in their teaching Programs for Children - and I have also been interested in this area since I once worked with a guy from Laos and we were good friends.  Tonight while my Man and I looked at the different areas, I was drawn to Laos due to the low life expectancy of 55.1 years and also a low 51% who have access to safe drinking water and a low literacy rate (over 15 years) of only 66.4%.  I love reading about all the Community Projects taking place in Laos.

I am Excited that I finally made one small step to Spread The Yellow and be Actively Involved in helping build Communities.  What I also love about Plan is that they work to help Communities to become Empowered to overcome poverty, so that with time they can withdraw from a self-sufficient Community.

It feels great to be Actively Involved.  We saw a photo of little Ann and we are planning to write her a letter and look forward to learning more about her Community.  Little Ann is just 2 days younger than my Niece Ashley and I look forward to hopefully getting Ashley involved in this Process, perhaps writing letters or sending pictures.  In any case, it helps us realise that we are so fortunate and we can help Make A Difference.

I am calling on the Yang Part of me tomorrow (and every day) to be Organised and Logical and Focused and in ACTION.  I have my "To Do" List ready to go and I look forward to being more Actively Involved in MY LIFE, making Choices and taking Steps towards my Vision.