When faced with unexpected obstacles, how do you resolve them?
This is a question I have been pondering these past few weeks, as a seemingly never ending number of obstacles have presented themselves for me to address, handle or overcome. It really has tested my inner resolve! I have found that the resultant outcomes of these unexpected situations had a great deal to do with my perspective and the filter I was viewing them through.
Everything happens for a reason, to teach us, remind us, or even reaffirm whether we are on track – or not.
I connected with a wonderful analogy (or word) that I read recently – “overwhelment”. This perfectly summed up the situation that I found myself experiencing. In an article, Esther Hicks, described “overwhelment” as being about you not being up to speed with what you told the Universe that you want. The Universe is yielding to you as you’re not ready to receive it right now.
This was particularly apt for myself. My ideas and future thinking was not aligned to where I currently was. On a recent trip to the city I literally had the door ripped from my car as I was ready to step out. I was definitely not being present at that moment. I was already thinking about what I needed to do when I returned to the office.
I also believe overwhelment happens if we lose connection to our inner compass – that capacity to resolve in a way which is aligned with our core essence.
We are often presented with things that seem too big to handle or address. I suggest that these situations are designed to challenge us, to awaken us and shift us out of our stupor. The car door was the awakening I had.
At these times, something comes to support us – which is reassuring. By chance, the right book shows up at the right time, a referral from a friend or colleague, an email, or just walking in a bookshop – yes I still love to do this! Real paperback books that I can highlight, scribble in as I read them. The right one seems to fall off the shelf.
For me, it was the book, Daring Greatly, by the resplendent Brene Brown. It had been recommended by a friend two months back, and busyness took over.
This paragraph, in particular, stood out for me as I was reading it over Easter.
“I want to be in the arena. I want to be brave with my life. And when we make the choice to dare greatly, we sign up to get our asses kicked. We can choose courage or we can choose comfort, but we can’t have both. Not at the same time.”
Dr Brene Brown
Rest might seem like a nice contrast to ‘overwhelment’, but enthusiasm is always chosen over rest. The only things that ever makes you tired or bogs you down is resistance (or choosing to stay in comfort). This was brought to life for me when watching “Running on Empty”, a 30 minute documentary on ABC TV’s Australian Story, 2 weeks back.
The story covered an Australian who has more often than not ‘dared greatly’ and chosen courage over comfort, I was in total admiration of this wonderful young Environmentalist lawyer, Mina Guli, whose passion is to awaken the world to the crisis of water, globally. As a lawyer, turned educationalist on this issue, she has set up a company in Beijing and knew she needed to take her message out to the world. After running a marathon to raise awareness on the issue of how water is used and wasted in Asia, she wanted to know how she could create even greater awareness, globally. A coach challenged her to run more. So Mina undertook to run 100 marathons in 100 days across all five Continents. Now if that is not daring greatly I don’t know what is!.
Life, however, often brings us challenges to overcome along the way. It is how we overcome them that is the differentiator between courage and comfort.Shortly before beginning these marathons, Mina was diagnosed with a slight stress fracture in her leg. Doctors advised her to delay the 100-day challenge, to allow for recovery, Mina determined that this was not possible due to “sponsors’ commitment. The schedule remained. After completing 52 marathons, the soreness increased to such a degree that she was forced to rest, and then walk instead of running. In South Africa, it became impossible to even do this.
BUT – and this is where the inner resolve kicks in. People had heard about the 100-day challenge on social media (it has it positives!). Messages went out, sharing the intention and asking for interested people to run. Many people put their hand up, in South Africa and around the globe. The 100 marathons were achieved with the culmination in New York. Not just by one committed runner in Mina now, but a tribe of several hundreds, who have taken the message on board and raised the visibility. It is now a movement, not just one woman’s deep passion. Giving up was never an option.
A client I am currently mentoring mentioned this as an issue he was currently experiencing. Everything he had planned, seemed to be going off track, or was being stalled for various reasons. I asked him “What is the one thing that you could do for yourself right now, that would best serve you?”. He looked at me for a moment, and responded, “Pause and breathe, and check in with my team. His energy physically shifted. Sometimes we just need to stop and BE.
This inner resolve is a key quality of leaders who Stand Tall. They also know it okay to allow for others to help and support along the way.
In times of ‘overwhelment” this deep inner knowing and alignment and inner resolve are key for leaders in all areas of life.
• Where are you daring greatly?
• Are you choosing courage or comfort at this stage?
• How have you overcome “overwhelment” with deep “inner resolve”?
When faced with Unexpected Obstacles, how do you “Stand Tall”?
Walking Your Luminous Path
“It takes powerful inner resolve to manifest a deep sense of the rightfulness of existence at a time when we’ve been conditioned to fear it.” With all the chaos, misinformation, or should I say ‘dis’-information distributed from mainstream media sites, plus the overload and misuse of Social Media, it can be difficult to discern the…
The Path Ahead – Finding YOUR Path.
Much has happened since December 2020. For many of us, it seems that monumental changes have occurred, or will do as we continue to navigate and transverse these new energies and indeed different times. Moving countries, moving to gentler environments, relocating to more supportive communities and equitable societies seem to be on the minds of…
Re-tuning to the Energies
“ It’s amazing how a little tomorrow can make up for a whole lot of yesterday” John Guare That rickety bridge has felt even more rickety at times during this last month. It felt that possibly a few rungs were missing. Minding one’s step seems increasingly important, especially when the next step is toward…
Winds of Change
“ Honour the space between No Longer and Not Yet” Nancy Levin A friend of mine told me “2020 is best described as being a rickety bridge between Epochs beginning in one Era, and ending in another. It may not feel particularly safe or inviting, but it’s the only way across. I thought that was…
Fight for the things you care about
These times are calling us to take a stand and fight for the things we care about. Twenty years ago, Sydney celebrated the “best games ever”. Well, according to those who attended. Over this past month there has been a literal trip down memory lane, recalling how, as a collective, everyone came together to help…
Conversation – the bigger picture, a bigger purpose.
Conversation – real conversation, where reflection, respect and deep listening occurs is something I feel is needed at this pivotal time in our lives. This has been a recurring theme for me as I, and many of us, navigate these uncertain and yet very opportune times in our respective lives. And then last week, a…
Roots of Connection – Heightened Attention.
“Beware the stories you tell yourself for surely you will be lived by them” – William Shakespeare In these unprecedented times I am noticing how easy it is to get caught in the ‘story’ if one is not operating with heightened awareness. One day can so easily morph into the next and the next. The pulse…
Seeing your shadow as a source for Transformation
Recently I am noticing a lot about ‘shadow’s – most notably my own, but also those of society. Shadows of the past, which seem to be coming up to be redressed and, in many instances, healed. Otto Scharmer, The Presencing Institute states: “What I have learned from various conversations and reflections on our blind spots…
The Path Ahead.
It will have direction and shape – IF you have done the work! “There are times when you have to take bold steps. Make up your mind; know where you are going and never waffle. Many wonderful opportunities are missed by those who are indecisive. In times when you have to take bold steps; take…
The Re-Write
“You are the sky. Everything else – it’s just the weather”. Pema Chodron. The past 4 weeks may have seemed like an eternity for some, and for others, a time pressured haze of days. It is all to do with context, personal circumstances and focus of attention. Is your attention on the sky or has…