Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool that I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything – all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.
Steve Jobs
I just received an email from one of my mentors, Steve Chandler, with this quote. While it was jolting, of course it had me thinking – when is it time to let go of all the masks? Were you taught that it’s not OK to take care of yourself, that it’s selfish? Were you taught that it’s OK to be successful but not wildly successful? Are these shadow beliefs calling the shots in your life? They hang out, just beyond your awareness. That’s why they’re called shadow beliefs and they determine what we can have, who we are being, and what we can accomplish in our lives. They call the shots. We all have them.
Are you willing to scrape the muck off of your authentic brilliant divine self so that you can be free in the world? Who will lose out if you don’t. You? Your family? Those you love? Those you lead? The world? What would be possible if you realized you are everything: the good and the bad, the brilliant and the stupid, the powerful and the weak, the generous and the stingy, the lazy and the diligent? There are times when you must call on and use all parts of yourself because they are all incredibly valuable and necessary to your well being!
Who else will take care of your health but your self-centered aspect, right? Your lazy self can be called upon when it’s time to take a break, to renew yourself. Without conscious access to all of you, these parts of you aren’t readily available. They lurk in the shadows and pop up at the most inopportune times. Have you ever had an angry statement or outburst sabotage everything that you had worked towards?
So again, what would be possible if we stopped rejecting our true nature and quit using our time to reject and hide from ourselves? How much energy would be freed? What would it be like to live and lead from this place? What would it be like to live an integral life?
If you want to find out more about Shadow Coaching or if this raises questions for you, please contact me. For more information, I invite you to take a look at The Dark Side of the Light Chasers, by Debbie Ford, my mentor, teacher, renowned best-selling author and founder of The Ford Institute For Transformational Training and the Ford Institute for Integrative Coaching.
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