The Global Media Site for Entertainment.
Menu
Two years ago, like a message in a bottle, I discovered a passage that I had written 10 years earlier while living in Burbank, California. As I read it, I remember being struck by the fact that I could very well have just written it. Now, as I write this, another 2 years have passed and, although in some respects I feel the same way, perspective (and a whole lot of coach training) is inviting me to take a deeper look.
It’s not that external things hadn’t changed or evolved between the time I first wrote those words and when I found them again a decade later. During that time, our daughter had finished high school and college, my beautiful mother had passed, my husband and I were living in a different city and our resumes were bullet point “proof” of the “accomplishments” that had been made along the way.
And now, two years later, external “things” have absolutely changed most significantly the global pandemic which has affected each and every one of us in ways we never could have imagined.
In coaching we talk about our “WHO”. Understanding and empowering who we really are rather than our definition of the who we think we are, (who we should be) or who we’re taught to believe that we are.
Some say that this is where the journey to higher consciousness begins.
You don’t need to be a life coach to pick up on the tone of my words and my energy back then or my willingness to trust that the universe will provide. But now, through my coaches lens, I can see that there’s more to investigate.
Let me share with you what I wrote….I said
“I love my life right now. I loved it a year ago today, and chances are I’ll still love it wherever I am 10 years from now. That’s just who I am.”
Although I admit that the prophecy still rings true and I do still “love my life” – it’s the implications of attributing this bold statement to the “who I am” that begs further inquiry.
In retrospect, had I “said” it out loud at that time, I might have been perceived as naive or idealistic or perhaps overconfident or cocky or even privileged. Likewise, I quite likely would have reacted to those judgments with defensiveness or even anger because I’d take it personally – why wouldn’t I? If I define myself by my perspective towards life and someone criticizes my view, aren’t they criticizing me?
Although the chutzpah and sheer audacity of that declaration “That’s just who I am” sounds like a self-actualized empowered person, I might challenge my former self and ask what are you going to do with this self-awareness?
I’d encourage myself to dig deeper to discover what value is being honored by “loving your life”. What is it about you that allows you to view your life in that way? That’s where the essence of who we are lies, in our values, our principles and our purpose.
I may see my life one way while someone else might have a very different perspective.
“What’s one man’s trash is another man’s treasure”
The journey to higher consciousness does not end with empowerment and self awareness. It begins there. A lifelong practice. It’s what we do with that awareness and how we connect it to our values and principles that creates and defines who we are or who we want to be.
Perhaps, 10 years from now I will reflect back on these words and bear witness to how I much I’ve learned along the way.
In any case I am grateful for the opportunity to perhaps inspire some of you to explore your own “WHO” and encourage you to evaluate, learn and, perhaps even redefine your own definition, and tap into your unlimited potential and connect who you are to what you value not what you do.
“Your level of consciousness creates your perceptions and that creates and recreates the world you know”
Published in Collaboration with:
Moving Through “Paralysis by Analysis”
Lisa is an ICF Certified Professional Life Coach and Energy Leadership Master Practitioner at Wide Open Stages. She specializes in partnering with highly successful creative people who want to be challenged and inspired to become artists in all areas of their lives. A passionate creative professional herself, Lisa has over 25 years experience working in the performing arts industry as a director/choreographer, producer, writer and dance educator in NYC, nationally and internationally. She is dance faculty at Pace University NYC in the Commercial Dance and Musical Theater BFA programs, and is co-founder of New York Stage Originals, an internationally recognized theatrical production company. Lisa hosts the popular podcast STOPTIME: Live in the Moment and is founder of Wide Open Stages, where she coaches high-performing creatives in the performing arts industry.
Read Full Profile
© 2021 TheatreArtLife. All rights reserved.
Thank you so much for reading, but you have now reached your free article limit for this month.
Our contributors are currently writing more articles for you to enjoy.
To keep reading, all you have to do is become a subscriber and then you can read unlimited articles anytime.
Your investment will help us continue to ignite connections across the globe in live entertainment and build this community for industry professionals.
