An Empowering Space

What Will Matter

Ready or not,

some day it will all come to an end.

There will be no more sunrises,

no minutes, hours, days.

All the things you collected,

whether treasured or forgotten,

will pass to someone else.

Your wealth, fame and temporal power,

will shrivel to irrelevance.

It will not matter what you owned,

or what you were owed.

Your grudges, resentments, frustrations, and jealousies,

will finally disappear.

So, too, your hopes, ambitions, plans,

and to-do lists will expire.

The wins and losses that once seemed so important

will fade away.

It won’t matter where you came from,

or on what side of the tracks you lived.

At the end, whether you were beautiful or brilliant,

male or female, even your skin colour won’t matter.

So what will matter?

How will the value of your days be measured?

What will matter is not what you bought,

but what you built;

Not what you got,

but what you gave.

What will matter is not your success,

but your significance.

What will matter is not what you learned,

but what you taught.

What will matter is

every act of integrity, compassion, courage or sacrifice

that enriched, empowered or encouraged others.

What will matter is not your competence,

but your character.

What will matter is not how many people you knew,

but how many will feel a lasting loss when you’re gone.

What will matter is not your memories,

but the memories that live in those who loved you.

Living a life that matters doesn’t happen by accident.

It’s not a matter of circumstance but of choice.

Choose to live a life that matters.

By Michael Josephson.

Wow, I cannot believe I have not written on my website since the New Year.  My word, life has been full and rich and rewarding during this time.  Life is also in transition, constantly changing, shifting, evolving.  I find myself a life long learner, noticing, with curiosity and wonder the changes within me, my family, my relationships, my environments.

For me a resurrection is a rebirth. It comes right after a process of  sifting through, a de-cluttering, sorting through what works, what is important, what  is no longer needed, a releasing, a letting go, a surrendering and a reclaiming and re-commitment to what is truly important.

A resurrection is refreshing, liberating, inspiring, enlightening.

As I get ready to renovate my home, repaint, repair and resurrect my environment to a loving, warm, inviting, relaxing sanctuary, I look around to see what no longer works for me, what is no longer needed.  My husband and I have now found ourselves as “empty nesters” - the result of bringing up our children to be independent, adventurous, and taking opportunities when and where they present themselves, living and enjoying the lives of their own creation.

With all their university fees almost behind us, we can now concentrate on us, our home, our future.  We have both dedicated much of our lives to instilling values, loving, caring, providing for and nurturing  our children to adults.

Now it is time to resurrect our dreams, re-evaluate again what is important. It is now time for our bucket list.  Here are just a few samplings from mine:

• Go on a cruise
• Visit the greek islands
• Visit Macchu Picchu
• Lead coaching workshops in Trinidad  for our youth, teachers, and parents.
• Hike to Matelot ( a tiny village on the northern coast of Trinidad)  on the northern Trail.
• Continue my enneagram training with the Enneagram Institute, and Lifewise Institute.
• Introduce the enneagram to Trinidad through a series of Enneagram Workshops
• Work with a team to bring motivational speakers to our shores to help uplift the consciousness
• Own a comfortable, relaxing beach house retreat on the north coast
• Host a weekend enneagram retreat with Russ Hudson and Gayle Scott in Trinidad
• Reconnect to wonderful authors through my radio show Empowering Space -Your Hour of Power once again
• Lose 10lbs while learning to live and eat healthy
• take care of myself - body, mind, heart and spirit because I have so much I want to be and do
• skydive
• learn to ski well
• connect with friends regularly
• see the Phantom of the Opera
• Acknowledge and appreciate others, see their gifts and strengths- develop this as a core competency in my life- see the greatness in others and meet them there.
• Spend regular holidays with my family and by extension those important people in their lives.

What’s on your bucket list?  How full is your bucket?

Please feel free to write and share on this blog by commenting on the post.

I appreciate and enjoy  the wonderful ideas that are generated through the Participation.

Happy New Year to all my followers and readers!!!!!!!!! Started the New Year with a Bang, facilitating my first workshop for 2010 with Partners Georgina Terry and Kaffi Phillips.  It is the first in a series of workshops we intend to host this year.  Coaching seems to be now catching on in my country and people are becoming more aware of the benefits of having a coach or partaking in a coaching workshop.  As the New Year rolls in, and with the global economic crisis vivid in our memories, many people are finding themselves in transition or at a crossroads in their life.  The world as we know it is shifting, getting smaller, more accessible, more fast paced, while our beliefs and values are also shifting and changing.  We need new tools and life skills to support us on our journey. What many participants discovered during the workshop is, the way in which we limit ourselves by focusing on only three of four areas in our lives, and so feel as though something is missing in our life.  We feel unfulfilled, dissatisfied, overwhelmed, confused.  Many times if there is a loss in one of these areas to which we have devoted most of our time, energy and resources, it can feel like our entire world is falling apart, or that we have lost everything. So what is the secret to thriving vs surviving: - Living a more balanced life, a life filled with joy and passion and the things that truly make your heart sing. Becoming the interior designer of your own life in an integral way - body,mind, heart, spirit.  Living a life by design versus a life by default.  Living a life in the present, not in the future …. Someday when… or in the past If only…… Your point of power is in the present, it is only in the present moment that you can take an inspired action that can change your past or future. How balanced is your life? Where do you dedicate your time, energy and resources? Where do you feel a gap in what you currently have and what you truly desire? Finances:- Income, investments, retirement Work:- Career, business Family:- married life, single life, children Health and Recreation:-Everything you do to take care of yourself Community:-Friends, social life, community involvement Living environment:- Your setting, your space, your home, office Personal Growth:- What you  do or learn to improve yourself Spirituality:- Your spiritual life. Rate each area of your life and if you are absolutely satisfied in this area of your life then you are thriving and give yourself a 10.  A 1 in this area of your life would mean that you are absolutely not satisfied with this area of your life and may be surviving or even suffering. How do you rate yourself between 1-10 in each area? What would a 10 look like in the area in which you scored the lowest mark? How can you begin to create this? What steps can you take to close in the gaps? What gets in your way? How do your habits, beliefs and behaviors need to be altered in order to close those gaps? Start designing your New Year, invest in yourself and your happiness. Take this opportunity to put your hands on the wheel of your life and turn it at a speed that returns you to happiness more quickly.  Learn to navigate these times as smoothly as possible, so you emerge more resilient, less drained, more energized and more inspired in your life. What first steps will you take to get you out of the passenger’s seat and put you back in the driver’s seat? If you are interested in attending one of our Thrive vs Survive Interactive Workshops send and email to info@bpdassociates.com.   If you are interested in a professional coach who can assist you through the life design process, please send me an email through the form on my contact page. Stop delaying your happiness.

• How would you know you were living a Purposeful Life?
• What would be different from how you are living your life now?
• What is a life purpose?
• What does your heart and soul thrive upon?
• How can you uncover Your purpose?
• Why is it important to uncover your life purpose?
  

There is a purpose at work in everyone’s life. You may be very aware of it or it may be hidden to you. Your purpose is your reason for being - who you feel called to be and what you feel called to do. It is your vision for the world, your core value, what others can count on you for, your gift and a guiding principle that encompasses your life. A life purpose is more about who you are than what you do.  It is like the sword of clarity, it cuts though everything that is false and lets you see what is true about your life. It becomes a measure for every decision, choice and action.

Step into an Empowering Space with my guest, Georgina Terry as we discuss the Power of Living a Purposeful Life. Join us Thursday 17th, 2009 at 8:00pm EST- 9:00pm local Trini Time

If your life is always being shaped by something, and you are unclear what your purpose is, what’s shaping your life right now?

This week clear out of the blue, My coaching partner Georgina Terry www.bpdassociates.com gifted me with a wonderful experience. Georgina had designed a  workshop on developing Presentation Skills which she was going to present at the Commonwealth Youth Forum aboard the Caribbean Princess docked here in Trinidad for the Commonwealth Heads Of Government Meeting.  This ship was being used as a floating learning center for the youth of the Caribbean Region to discuss different topics and to offer free training and development for the youth.

Well as the story goes Georgina only found out two days before she was supposed to facilitate that the workshop was not one hour but rather one day and she could bring along other facilitators.  So she called up her Associates Kaffi Phillips and myself to see if we would be able to help at this eleventh hour. Georgina redesigned the entire workshop and here I was off to facilitate a presentation which I had not yet seen. Because coaching is my passion, I rearranged my day so that I could attend this workshop.

At 8:00am after we had breakfast I sat with Georgina and looked through the slides as the workshop was begining at 9:00am.  Slowly people started walking into the room one by one. Young people between the ages of 19 and 29. We greeted and had introductory conversations with different people as they found their ideal spot and made themselves comfortable in the room.

I do not believe that any of us in that room were prepared for the transformations that were about to take place.  Being a transformational coach, those AHA! Moments (a higher awareness)  when we stand in a truth and things can never be the same are some of the most meaningful moments in coaching.

Georgina began the introductions and began the facilitation, with everyone sharing their expectations and the ground rules- rules of engagement.  The group got very involved setting out the guidelines of how they wanted to show up in this space.

As the presentation continued the youth realized that this was going to be an extremely interactive and engaging workshop and no one would be falling asleep or have time for boredom.

We worked with them around creating a vision and reconnecting with their passion in order to develop their compelling story for their presentations. Some people got to work immediately and there was a buzz in the room but others could not remember or find something that they were passionate about. So we walked around the room and supported those who needed a little help by using empowering questions.

I noticed one person in particular who had a blank page and was staring ahead of her in thought.  I asked her if she needed some help reconnecting and she said yes.  So we sat together and I began asking her some questions helping her reconnect to the things that bring her joy in her life. She started jotting down all these ideas and then I asked her to see if she could find or make a connection between them. I asked her not to think if it was possible, but to just open up to the image and create a space for the possibility. I asked her if I could share a possible perspective and option with her.   As soon as the words came out my mouth there was a twinkle in her eye and her body shifter. She wanted to be able to write and share stories of different cultures and travel around the world doing so, and had never ever thought of that as a possibility for herself. Now she had a vision.  It was as though a light went on inside her.  I could see the energy of excitement, possibility, and passion pulsing inside her. I told her this was just one possibility and when looking at the words on her page see how she could connect them with the word and versus or and create something new and exciting.

After we had finished the exercise while Georgina was speaking two gentlemen came over to me to say that they were reporters with the BBC.  They had visited the different workshops and wanted to interview five from our workshop as this seemed like the place where people were passionate about their views. So I asked them to wait till the session was nearing and end and then I would let them speak and introduce themselves so they could choose the volunteers.

In the end everyone was connecting with their “joy juice” the energy in the room changed, people were excited to share and participate and were eager to share and receive feedback. One person shared her story and had touched on a truth of why what she was saying was so important for the youth and shared a personal story, she became very emotional and continued as Georgina and myself stood at her side.  She told a compelling story and it touched everyone in the room.   She thought she had done a terrible job, because she had gotten emotional.  I shared with the group that many of us think that power is a strength, a force, being in control of our emotions, not showing our weakness, but true inner strength comes from being able to stand in your truth no matter how difficult and share your vulnerabilities with others from the deepest places in our hearts.

At the end of the first session The BBC broadcasters stepped in and asked for people who were willing to share their stories, both the shy girl who I helped and the one who thought she had done a horrible job, were two of the volunteers that stepped into an empowering space.   I realized that as the shy girl had allowed herself the opportunity to believe in the possibility, her energy shifted and BBC reporters arrived to receive her very first story.  Validating the saying by Napolean Hill -What the mind can conceive and believe, you can achieve.

It was such a joy and privilege for me to be standing on the brink of an empowering space, witnessing these youth rediscover the passion in their hearts and their untold stories.

I was not present for the evening session as I had my radio show that evening the Power of storytelling and Kaffie Phillips took that session with Georgina.  Georgina shared with me that the stories in the end were all beautiful and inspiring.  Everyone had stepped into the empowering space of sharing their vulnerability, a truly powerful place where they stood in their truth, and were transformed as speakers, and presenters.

It was a wonderful journey from the head to their hearts.