Tag Archives: discovery

What insights have you discovered from turning inward lately

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What insights have you discovered from turning inward lately?

—Calm App Reflection

Image from Unsplash by Tingey Injury Law Firm

Over the dozen or so years that I have been writing this blog, I’ve referred to many strategies and techniques to journey inward, in order to gain even greater insight into oneself and the world.

Perhaps you have adopted practices such as forest bathing and embracing the natural world, meditation, or finding moments to slip into silence to tap into your own inner voice and wisdom.

Have you ever worked with a coach?

If so, you may also have found the inquiry generated through powerful questions and thoughtful reflection very revealing.

Peeling back the layers of our awareness helps us explore more of own soulful guidance to living a more engaging and meaningful life.

EXERCISE:

How and in what ways do you look within yourself for better answers and insights?

What new and different approaches can and will you explore to aid in your discovery?

“In the book of life, the answers aren’t in the back.”

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“In the book of life, the answers aren’t in the back.”

—Charles Schulz, creator of the comic strip Peanuts

Image from Unsplash by Patrick Tomasso

Today’s quote takes me back to grade school. Back then, we had hefty textbooks to lug around from class to class.

I specifically remember the math books. What made them different from the rest was that they had an answer key in the back to check our work. They usually contained only half the answers, and we were left to work out the rest on our own.

In life, many of us wait too long to discover the answers to the problems we experience along the way.

There is no answer key even at the end of many years with the right answers. The only thing we often find there is regret.

EXERCISE:

As you turn the pages of your life, how can you trust the answer keys of your head, heart and gut to come up with many more of the right answers for you?

Embrace beauty wherever you find it. It can magically uplift your

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Embrace beauty wherever you find it. It can magically uplift your life and sweeten your world.

—Calm App Reflection

Image from Unsplash by Clem Onojeghuo

Do you have a sweet tooth? What are your favorite desserts, candies, or sugary beverages?

When and where do you indulge in these treats? How do they make you feel before, during, and after you devour them?

We all enjoy taking in the sweetness of life, and delicious food is certainly one way to do this. Consider — as an alternative to a tasty treat — consuming a little more beauty in your world to put smiles on your mouth instead of putting something in it.

EXERCISE:

How can you discover and consume more beauty from the world around you?

Who are the people and what are the places and things that uplift and sweeten your life?

Eating a scoop of ice cream during this exploration works even better!

Still round the corner there may wait, a new road or a secret gate

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“Still round the corner there may wait, a new road or a secret gate.”

—J.R.R. Tolkien, 20th Century writer, artist, scholar, linguist

Image from Unsplash by Steve Johnson

Many people live their lives going in circles.

Like a revolving door to one of those fancy hotels in a big city, if we don’t exit at some point we keep going around and around.

How often do you take new roads and go through secret gates?

Where are you both looking and stepping around the corners of your world to discover new wonderful places around the bend?

What may be stopping you from going beyond your safe, well-worn paths?

EXERCISE:

How would a bit more “Hobbiting” in your life lead you to new and wonderful places?

What adventures may await you!

“We are the only creatures that seek out guarantees, and in doing so, we snuff the spark that is discovery.”

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“We are the only creatures that seek out guarantees, and in doing so, we snuff the spark that is discovery.”

—Mark Nepo, Author of The Book of Awakening

Image from Unsplash by Marcos Paulo Prado

At the age of eleven I grew up seemingly overnight. My dad, who was then 41, had a stroke. Everything changed for the family. Dad’s recovery was slow; he was able to return to work in about six months with only limited residual impact.

For me, it seemed like my childhood was lost and I became more diligent and responsible given dad’s limited capacities. I felt the need to be strong and dependable to help hold the family together. Doing so seemed to please my parents very much, and I continued to play this role as I launched my own life and became a husband and father.

As our two children left the nest and Wendy and I became grandparents a few years ago, a spark of discovery returned. Observing young Weston — and little Ella now that we live 20 minutes away — has rekindled new sparks of curiosity and wonder in all of us.

EXERCISE:

Where do you find yourself seeking guarantees and sure things in your life? How has doing so diminished or snuffed out your spark of discovery? Where and how can you rekindle this sense of aliveness throughout this new year?

“Thou hast only to follow the wall far enough and there will be a door in it.”

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“Thou hast only to follow the wall far enough and there will be a door in it.”

—Marguerite De Angeli, 20th Century American writer/book illustrator

Image from Amazon

Being persistent and staying the course is a solid approach to discovery and achieving excellence, offered to us all. These days it seems fewer and fewer of us take this approach. It appears that the pursuit of/grasping for pleasure and comfort and the avoidance of discomfort and pain has softened many of us to far more frequently pursue the paths of least resistance.

Over the years I’ve been repeatedly introduced to the Japanese concept of IKIGAI, which is defined as a central purpose or reason for being. Two of the most common perspectives on this topic relate to either a societal or personal view of life that can drive our daily pursuits.

EXERCISE:

What is your personal or societal IKIGAI? How has or can it fuel you to follow more of the long and difficult walls of life until you discover and open the doors to your destiny?

“When your past calls, don’t answer. It has nothing to say.”

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“When your past calls, don’t answer. It has nothing to say.”

—Author Unknown

Image from Unsplash by Hadija Saidi

Or maybe it does.

Most of us have had the experience of meeting with an old friend or former schoolmate, in which the stories and discussions reoccur like Groundhog Day. It’s like a record that keeps skipping back to play the same old tunes.

In such situations, we often tune things out and feel our lives wasting away because we’ve already been there and done that.

Alternatively, what if the lessons of the past were never fully learned and they present themselves again, hoping you have new lenses to see what you may have missed on the first, second, or third go-around?

Discovering what’s new might actually be more up to you than what appears frozen in time.

EXERCISE:

What would be the value of not always using your caller ID when you see a call from your past? How might you listen differently to discover new value in their messages?

 

“Let others fill the blanks.”

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“Let others fill the blanks.”

—Liz Wiseman, Author of Multipliers

Image from Unsplash by Ross Sneddon

There is at least one bright spot in our economy as a result of the pandemic having kept many of us home. Game sales of all types are rocketing!

What indoor, outdoor, high-tech, low-tech and even retro games from your youth have come off the shelf in your home?

For many families, the good old-fashioned jigsaw puzzle is making a comeback. Puzzle maker Ravensburger’s sales rose 370% in March!

Recall a time when you completed a puzzle with others, especially if those others were children. How did they act and react when you filled in the blank spaces compared to when they discovered the missing pieces on their own?

EXERCISE:

Where are you taking it upon yourself to fill in the blanks for others in your personal and professional communities?

Where would letting others fill in the blanks be the best strategy to take today?

My Joy in Learning

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“My joy in learning is partly that it enables me to teach.”

—Seneca, first century Roman philosopher

Image from Unsplash by jeshoots.com

My coaching relationships begins with several “discovery” sessions in which my clients crystallize and clarify what they wish to learn and how they intend to grow.

I often joke with them that they are pursuing “A PhD in Me” through this unique and customized relationship.

In the early stages, they may look to me or others they respect and watch how we lead, manage, coach, or communicate. Very quickly they begin practicing and engaging in similar efforts to further their mastery journey. Soon after, or even at the same time, I encourage them to play the role of coach, mentor, or teacher to share what they are learning with others.

EXERCISE:

Where and with whom can you be a teacher to more joyfully experience the pleasure of learning and contribute more of yourself to others?

Friday Review Discovery

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FRIDAY REVIEW: DISCOVERY

What can and will you discover about yourself and your world today? Here are a few discovery-related posts you may have missed:

“We discover greatness within once we learn to cultivate and celebrate it in others.”

 

 

 

 

“All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered. The point is to discover them.”

 

 

 

“Your work is to discover your work and then, with all your heart, to give yourself to it.”