Ever wonder why so many people can see or hear the same thing and yet have such different perspectives on what is REAL? We all see through our own filters which means that each of us makes up whatever we do on just about anything. I am known for saying Rocks are Hard and Water is Wet which is a metaphor for looking at a situation using very hard objective data. But even that can be questioned at times.

Today, we started this year's Coaching Fundamentals and Mastery certification program. I find myself at this time each year preparing to greet the new students - knowing that they will be taking on a 9-month process of learning and personal growth.  All new students step into learning this time of year facing certain challenges. Managing time, staying focused and most importantly challenging themselves to see something from a new perspective.

One of the metaphors that I frequently use in the first session of this certification process is to think of themselves (specifically their brains) as a refrigerator.  When we go to the store and buy our food and bring it home, most of us go on automatic and begin to put the groceries away. Those that go in the refrigerator have very predictable spaces they go into. The lettuce in the veggie drawer, milk in the side shelf, the butter in the butter tray, frozen goods in the freezer, etc., etc.

However, when being loaded up with a whole new set of groceries or in this case new information on learning to be an ontological coach, there is all sorts of "stuff" that many of the students don't know where to place it in their brains.

Best advice, don't spend time and energy attempting to relate to what you know so you can sort and store in a familiar place.  Instead, leave everything out on the counter for a while, trusting it will not "spoil" and then eventually it will find itself in a very logical location.

Too often we resist learning something new because it creates confusion and we do not know how to associate it with something else. So practice just letting it set out for a while - check it out, look at it and then find the best place to file it.  In many cases, that means creating a new filing system.

Enjoy the learning.