Stories of hardship, of overcoming surmountable obstacles, of winning in spite of unfathomable challenges; these are the stories that grab people by the heart. You and I hear about them at conferences, watch them in movies, read about them in novels and non-fiction autobiographies. They seem to stir up emotions and thoughts such as, “If she can do that, what BS stories am I telling myself that keep me stuck where I am?”
I believe the BS stories are precisely what limit me and I have a hunch they are what keep you from absolutely everything you want in life too.
As an Erickson College trained coach, one of the five Principles I apply in my practice is Resourcefulness. This principle means that you and I have all of the resources we need to be, do, or have anything we want.
You may be thinking, “That’s crap, Dan. Look at my bank account. I don’t have the money (a resource) to buy the new car I want.”
That statement may be true, however you have the skills, abilities, talents, and creativity to provide value for which the required money would be given to you.
The challenge is this: you may not recognize the necessary valuable resources you have. The coaching process supports you to remember, discover, or find these resources and to apply them so you have a richer, purposeful, more vivid and colourful experience of life. Over time, you begin to tell yourself different stories that allow you to use your talents to gain different and more desirable results. Life becomes more satisfying, enjoyable, intentional, and fun.
This applies for most people.
But some people start out with what seems to most of us as a slim chance to live any kind of a meaningful life, and they often succeed in amazing ways, just because they can.
My high school friends, Barb and Bruce, had a healthy baby boy they named Chris. Healthy, but missing a few things most babies have – arms and legs. Chris was treated the same way any loving parent treats their child. And Chris grew to believe that he could do what most children do, only with some slight modifications. As a young adult, he was a star for the War Amps program and has gone on to live a very rich and fulfilling life.
Check out this video and then come back for a few coach-approach questions especially for you.
Welcome Back
Amazing young gentleman, isn’t he?
Coach-approach questions especially for you. To add to your experience, I invite you to write your responses – it makes it more real and applicable.
- What one thing, that is really important to you, would allow you to live a more fulfilling life? Just one thing.
- Why is that important and valuable to you? I invite you to list as many reasons as you can.
- What one action, specifically, can you take today, tomorrow, the next day and so on, to get what you want? Just one thing.
- When, specifically, are you going to start?
- What could keep you from following through with this?
- How are you going to overcome that so you achieve the results you want?
This simple structure works, as long as you work it. But most people procrastinate or just don’t follow through for the long-term. They buy into their BS limiting stories … again.
If that’s like you, I double-dog dare you to stick to it. It may be hard work. It may be tough. It may not seem fair. Oh well, that’s life.
I invite you to keep Chris in mind, and if at some point you forget to believe in yourself, go ahead and borrow my belief in you until you find your own again.
In a month or so, I invite you to send me an email or call me to share your successes. I’m honoured to celebrate with you.
Have FUN!
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