Hope you had a nice and relaxing weekend! Ronald Reagan once said, "Every new day begins with possibilities." In today's resource, Laurel shares how we are all equipped to see possibilities around us and within us. We hope this encourages you and your coaching clients during times of feeling stuck.

The Institute has lots going on this summer! Keep scrolling for more info on our upcoming programs, free classes and workshops. You can also check out our website for the latest updates. Have a question? Please reach out to us anytime. We would love to connect!

You Came Equipped
by: Laurel Elders

​A mentor of mine would tell our group each week, "You have everything you need." My mind would argue back. I was a single mom attending a weekly support group because I was struggling. I never seemed to have enough money. I didn't have a good boss. I didn't have a reliable enough car. I didn't have… and the list went on and on and on.
 
So, what did she mean when she said that? How audacious to state that I had everything I needed when I felt so strongly that I didn't! After continuing to show up to her group lessons, I finally realized what she actually meant.
 
She meant, "You came equipped."
 
She was not referring to external provisions, like money, cars, or jobs. She wasn't even referring to the body, which can come with its own limitations.
 
She was referring to what counts. She was referring to what is on the inside—the human spirit.
 
Each of us has one, regardless of what form or shape our body took and regardless of external provisions or lack thereof. The human spirit is strong and in each of us irrespective of our religious or spiritual beliefs. The question is, “Are we aware of what is within us?"
 
One day I had an epiphany and realized some humbling news. I realized that I don't create possibilities. What a bummer! I wanted to create possibilities, but I realized I couldn't create them. Why? They already exist. They surround each of us 24/7/365.
 
But do we have access to them?
 
For example, if I show up to work with a chip on my shoulder, have low self-awareness of my defense mechanisms, and my co-workers experience me as rude. What is the probability I will get promoted? Low to none.
 
However, if I overcome the defenses, gain self-awareness, and now empower my co-workers, what is the probability of getting promoted? Much higher! In this scenario, I've created an opportunity to access the possibility that already existed.
 
Another mentor of mine, over a decade later, made a statement that shook me up. I reflected with her over my epiphany that possibilities existed all around us and how amazing that was. She said, "And within you."
 
Within me? Do possibilities exist within me? Yes! We come equipped.
 
Have you ever gotten a new phone and felt so overwhelmed by the number of new features in the manual? So, you end up settling on learning the basics or just a few new cool tricks. You never really study the entire manual of everything the phone is equipped to do. I know I do this with every new car, phone, and laptop. Then later, I wonder what I'm missing out on. As a matter of fact, I've had my Jeep for over a year and am still finding new features!
 
This is so true with the human experience! Even Shakespeare wrote about this in Hamlet which was originally published in 1603. He stated, "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
 
Bottom line? We come equipped. We come equipped with the possibility of compassion, devotion, equanimity, humor, fortitude, grace, kindness, love, wisdom, vision, and so much more. But… we must activate these virtues or else they lay dormant, and we may never know they exist. To experience the possibilities within us, we must activate them.
 
In my coaching profession, we are trained to help our clients activate the possibilities and potentials latent within. The process of being coached by a trained professional evokes us to move from probability into possibility. Coaches help us activate the myriad of possibilities embedded within us.

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Hope your summer is off to a great start! In today's resource, Laurel offers a unique perspective on fear and how it impacts our confidence in life. Confidence is an area many clients struggle with as they work towards their goals. We hope this reflection offers a fresh perspective you can apply to your life and in your coaching going forward.


The Institute has lots going on this summer! Keep scrolling for more info on our upcoming classes and workshops. You can also check out our website for the latest updates. Have a question? Please reach out to us anytime. We would love to connect!

Life Reflection: Confidence
by: Laurel Elders

Last night was my youngest son’s final concert of his senior year. I sat in the audience so impressed. I’ve watched this group grow since freshman year. They went from freshman flop to fabulous! 

It made me reflect on how different my high school experience was. In contrast to my son, I was a loner and horribly shy. I had very little self-concept or self-esteem. High school, for me, was an excruciatingly painful experience. 
 
But for my son, it was a blast! I watched him embody the confidence I never found. I realized how much I missed out on in life because fear held me back. Sigh…
 
Years ago, I learned from A Course in Miracles that fear is a state of mind. That is it. Nothing more. Fear is a mindset and can shift. Living in fear is a choice.
 
Sufi teachings talk about how fear is only half a message, reflecting only what we don’t want. On the other hand, our heart has the other half of the message, reflecting what we do want and value. Our heart moves us from darkness to light.
 
Looking back, I wonder what life would have been like if I had found my inner light sooner. I’ve watched the light in my children. Sometimes it is stronger than others, but it is there. I also see it in my clients. Once they locate their inner light, their life illuminates in new ways.
 
There is a grieving that can come with this recognition. When we realize finding our inner light could have happened sooner and that we lived needlessly in the dark. Sadness naturally can surface.
 
But after the wave of grief passes, there is a clearing. The clearing is a new awareness that life is our responsibility. As we go within to cultivate our unique inner light, we can make life profoundly count.
 
How often do we allow ourselves to steer beyond the fear so that the miracles can appear?

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