2017 is a milestone year for me as a coach.
It was ten years ago that my life made a 45-degree turn, and everything as I knew it did not shift with me, in fact except for my cat and dog, everything changed…my job, my rented beach house, my marriage.
The wisdom of a door closing and another one opening prevails, although at the time, as we have all experienced, that “closing” of a door can be excruciating.
As I take a yellow pad and pen, I can list the events that laid the groundwork for where I am today. I truly believe that we already have all the answers inside of us, but often it is in code revealing itself only when we are ready. I was actually ready for those life-changing events but did not know it. Someone propitiously said to me yesterday: The teacher shows up when the pupil is ready.
The other day, my cousin commented on how much I have accomplished in the last ten years, as she had been witness to PEGI'S LIFE UNRAVELING. She easily ticked off five big things, she then asked me what I thought was my greatest accomplishment.
"Learning to let go and trust the invisible" was my answer.
The greatest reward I have reaped is the experience of learning how to love…to give and receive. Mastering that reward has put me on a higher spiritual plane.
Letting go is a tall order for most because the fears we hold onto have shaped our identities for our entire adult lives. Letting go requires we change our perspective, embrace the willingness to allow the tiniest ray of light to shine in a pitch-black room…almost like a lit match in a darkened stadium.
That takes courage.
Allowing ourselves to be vulnerable and share with others those deep fears hidden in the recesses of our heart takes courage. Sometimes the opportunity to grow appears disguised as a metaphor, but we can only see it if we step back and gain perspective. Sometimes it shows up on a global level, but it's really about you. If you change the way you look at something, what you are looking at will change.
As I reflect back on these last ten years I realize they have been a sort of incubator to get me to where I stand now; at the crossroads at this unique time in our country. It is forcing me to speak up for the life and the values I hold so dearly and be willing to go to the barricades to protect what is inherently mine. AND YOURS.
You and I finally have a taste of what it must feel like to live in a dictatorship, live in a country like Russia without free speech, without the freedom of choice. You…me…us can't afford to live by proxy anymore. I used to donate money instead of showing up. Now I need to do both. This a call to arms, to fight for and protect what generations before have built for us to thrive in, and to be more visible, more accountable and more present.
I keep thinking about 1774 and the attempt our forefathers made to separate themselves from a tyrannical monarchy. Is history repeating itself; a different suit but the same soulless greedy, demoralizing values?
Protecting your core values matter now as it has never before. Our comfort zones do not matter anymore, being engaged in the conversation does.