by Martha Pasternack Those are powerful words. Each one can be explored and poetically expounded upon. I shall resist, even if it proves to be futile. I don't need to remind anyone who is remotely engaged in today's current world events that we live in a turbulent time in history. For many of us these are times of crisis, loss, grief, fear and stress beyond imagination. For others, it is just more of the same: hunger, poverty, illness, and lack. And still for others, it is a time of pride, hope, creativity, and possibility. The challenges we face today are unprecedented in recent history. How can a person make sense of the rapid changes affecting us all, negative and positive? Where do we go for help and support? Why Life Coaching? I have recently been told that thousands of people search "life coaching" every day. I imagine that this number changes with the challenges people face; and by the way, these challenges change every day as well. Life coaching is a collaborative relationship in which the client develops a personal or professional intention with the support of the coach. Together they determine steps to support that intention with goals and action steps focused on that intention. This strategy has proven powerfully effective in facilitating positive change and transition in a person's life. It invites possibility. One approach to life coaching is to travel around the "circle of life", the name I have given to my personal life coaching business. These are the steps and stages on this journey: This is a way to invite possibility for our clients.
With a life coach a client will gain insight, gather tools and learn skills to continue the journey around the circle of life with beauty, dignity and grace. Why now? Because we are not only teetering on economic depression (setback, readjustment, re purposing, call it whatever you like), we now seem to have social, environmental, spiritual, and health challenges that the earth's people have never faced. We are "peaking out" on resources, patience, reasons to fight, purity, kindness, good grammar, neat handwriting and graciousness. Too many of our children are wayward; too many of our elders are sad and defensive. There is too much abuse, too much neglect, too much fear and not enough calm. Too many marriages are unsound; too many rhythms interrupted; too many seasons and cycles rushed. Too many of our neighbors are unknown to us; too much of our food is grown too far away. Too many cultural and spiritual practices are obscure or extinct. There are too many droughts, too much rain, not enough jobs and too many dropouts. We live with extremes and often feel disconnected. This is our life right now. It is our crisis, if you choose to see it that way. It is also our opportunity if you choose to see it that way. This is our opportunity to center ourselves on the circle of life; to be peaceful, kind, creative, resourceful and willing to be in relationship with our earth and our universe rather than at odds. To risk making a broad generalization, it seems to me that everywhere I turn someone else is being called to change the way they thought life should be. We are all being called to ask for help, dust off our dreams, help someone else, and see with new eyes. We are asked to be bold, brave and beautiful. We are asked to recommit to love, kindness, honesty and peace. It is time to make a choice: ask yourself, "Will I choose to see crisis or opportunity?" Either way you choose, the stream of life flows towards healing, making healing always possible. It is time to heal ourselves, our families, our communities. It is time to heal the beauty between us. What is one way you can reconnect to your dream right now? Because now is the time. Invite possibility. It really is that simple.
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Martha Pasternack, MMC 