In Full Color

Jul 29, 2015

What do you do when your picture looks bleak? Perhaps you’ve derailed on a big goal. Life is throwing some sharp curves which you hadn’t anticipated, leaving you frazzled, unsteady or uncertain about what’s next. Perhaps the shifts and changes are happening so quickly these days that you want to get off the bullet train.

Yesterday was definitely not bleak. It was bittersweet. I had a completion session with a coaching client. This marks the culmination of months of coaching, reassessing where they were at the beginning of our alliance and where they are now. It’s a celebration of milestones and shifts. I was reminded of the steps my client took to shift their picture from bleak to full color.  As a kid, I watched black and white t.v. at grandma’s. My client was like watching the NBC peacock that unfolded into color. Big stuff to move from bleak, muted, black and white to fabulous full color.

How did they do it?

They decided. They stopped trying to do it alone. They did their homework, checked out various options in coaches, counselors, etc. They asked trusted friends for suggestions and recommendations. Most importantly, they made a conscious decision that bleak was no longer sustainable. No mas.

They aligned. Over the course of our coaching, they did some soul searching. They said it was hard work. I believe it. They went places they had never dared to look, never had taken the time to pause and reflect. And guess what? They know now what has meaning for them and what doesn’t. They aligned with what strengthens them. They aligned with their values. Their pilot light is back on.

They acted.  Information is fine and dandy. Acting on the information, putting it into practice is essential.  They are acting on their strengths. Collaborating and connecting professionally more. They are acting on their values. More playing, more savoring, more romancing.  Does it matter? Hell yes. Full color is a beautiful.

As the song goes…"the best is yet to be.”