Long-time readers may recall my week in Spain on the Big Stretch. It was a gift to myself: a week of walking and swimming and hiking, kayaking – coupled with intensive thinking and coaching. And as these things tend to come along at exactly the right moment, the experience was life changing. I felt energised, lifted, engaged with life again. It was momentous.
The coaching was the key – the powerful conversations over that week changed me for the better. I got unstuck. And this weekend I started to understand why. I spent a glorious three days with 17 others on the CTI Fundamentals Course. This is the first of 5 intensive weekends over the next six months, that will see me emerge as a certified coach. I am so excited I may puke!
I realised over the weekend that I tend to approach my work using many of the values of coaching, and so the very engaged learning over the weekend came quite naturally; it was a joy to let that intuitive, creative thinking side of me out of its box. I learnt so much about how to listen actively, to stay present, to let go of having the answers. And mostly to trust that the other person is whole; they will meet me halfway – if I let them. I found myself rethinking some of my approaches and beliefs and getting back in touch with some I had let fall away. After three days of big brained stuff, I was anticipating the crash. But it hasn’t happened at all. I feel energised and excited, I am just enjoying using these new skills and techniques and smiling at the small miracles they create.
In keeping with the theme we went on a (literal) hot date last night, to the Southbank Centre, for the Science and Arts Festival. FutureTech was a conversation with Stephen Fry, Tim Berners-Lee, Bill Thompson, Dame Wendy Hall and Jim Hasleoff. The discussion was around the future of technology and the greatest technological advancement of the last 350 years (the talk was sponsored by the 350 year old Royal Society). The most engaging moment for me, was Fry’s description of the internet as a city: full of humanity, flawed and uncontrolled and capable of great things.
We enjoyed a jug of Pimms by the river with some friends before heading home.
Comments
It’s so wonderful to witness you stepping into your power, doing the things you were born to do. Love you xxx
Wow, sounds really exciting! Go you!
I need a kick in the butt to get me a quarter as motivated as you. Would you please come west over the pond and kick my butt. Also, I have Pimm’s. How do you prepare yours? I’m a wedge of lemon with some dry ginger ale. Is that terribly American of me?