Last Tuesday I was about to spend an enormous amount of money on a coaching program that promises Visionary Business Owners That Have Dreams Of Making A Difference to break through the obstacles that limit them reaching a bigger audience, finding the right clients and create the cash flow that gives space to breathe or – in their words – is in alignment with their purpose (a 6 figure income is suggested). I heard great things about the program from trustworthy people who had a first hand experience. The problem was that with every call I had with the male coach I was feeling annoyed, manipulated and pushed.
Snake in a bamboo pole
Once you have started your journey everything you do and don’t do is your journey. You are a snake in a bamboo pole too. The journey is towards becoming more authentic, more real, more conscious of what is going on inside and outside. It doesn’t really matter if you spend your waking hours in a ‘spiritual’ way or not. The important thing is that you now are aware of your desire to deepen and slowly (or not) become aware of all the inner and outer obstacles that try to prevent you from doing that. Now you can ask yourself why you are not doing what you want to do. Every self-confronting question answered honestly is a gain in your process of self-development or – as you wish- spiritual growth.
Step by step towards self-worth
This whole journey seems to be a very long road towards self-validation and self-appreciation. Am I worth something? In the very beginning of this journey I asked myself if I was doing all this just to be appreciated and to get the approval I never received from my father. Step by step I am getting closer. Yes, I still feel the need to raise the bar because I fear to become stagnant. But with every challenge that is conquered I find peace, calmness and – indeed – the much-wanted confirmation that I am on the right path. The spiritual laws can be applied universally; I now know this not just from insight but also from personal experience. Speak and listen from the heart unconditionally, face your fears, serve others, don’t take yourself so fucking seriously and be generous and healing will happen: I have been testing them over and over again and they still have not failed me. On the contrary: I am being rewarded all the time.
Transforming a company culture in 9 hours
Today I visited the company that I worked for last year. 9 months ago they gave me the assignment to try to transform the introversion of a large part of their staff. It is a well-known cultural problem in Hong Kong companies: the introversion of the Chinese part of the staff versus the extraversion of the Western part of the staff. I found during my work here that the discrepancy is caused by deep-rooted differences in the way children are brought up in China and in the west. This combined with my experience that the effects of a workshop can be temporary, especially when people did not sign up out of free will, made that I would not have been surprised if the results of my efforts would have been hard to measure. But this was not the news I received. The managing director told me that the problem had completely and permanently vanished! Wow! We created lasting change by doing 3 consecutive 3-hour workshops! I am so proud!
Is giving up on somebody the essence of human cowardice?
I am angry and I have an hour only. Let’s see if I can vent my anger with some speedblogging. What am I angry about? Today I met a young girl, around 20. We got into a conversation and I explained a little bit about what I do for a living. Helping people finding their path, executive coaching, life coaching, whatever you want to call it. Then she tells me that she is a lost case. She has been given up by her psychiatrist. (Pause here…). Now continue reading…