Greetings!

Recently, my friend Jon was talking about "true community" - where people truly share their resources to eliminate poverty.  He said, "If you really believed in this, how would your life be different?"  What a simple but profound question. 

Marilyn Orr

It is a question I have been asking myself - where could I give more, what can I do without, how can I live better in the communities that I am part of? How would my life be different?

As a coach, I'm always looking for good questions to ask myself and to ask my coachees. This is a question that can be asked about so many parts of life.  If I really believed _________, what would I be doing differently?

I have made a drastic change because I really believed in something.  About two months ago I became vegan.  It was a big change from "normal" eating to vegan eating.  I made the switch in one step.  What sparked the change?  I read a book that convinced me that vegan was the way to go (The book is called "The China Study"). The reactions I have received have been interesting. There has been support as well as plenty of teasing but it is really hard to take the negative stuff.  

As I have made other big decisions in life that garnered negative reactions, I was not surprised.  Big changes seem to push other people's insecurity, jealousy and judgment buttons. I think there is an assumption that because I have made a change I might be judging others for living their life differently.  That's sad and it couldn't be further from the truth.

Believing very strongly in my decision has allowed me to stick to it.  Really believing in vegan being right for me has let me change my whole life. That's pretty powerful. Now I am going to keep this great question in mind as I explore some of my work goals. Case in point..."If I really believe I can get my book written, what would I be doing differently?" This has led me to give myself a writing deadline, to make room in my calendar to spend time writing and has really raised my energy level for this project. I'll see it if I believe it!  

It's your turn - if you really believed ___________, what would YOU be doing differently? How would your life look different?  I hope working through this question helps you take some important steps towards your goals.  I love this question, thanks Jon!

Take care, 

Marilyn                                
Marilyn Orr BSc, MA, CEC
Certified Executive Coach

Vision Coaching

 

PS: Once you read Dave's interview with Don Khoury, below, I thought you might be interested in watching Don's analysis of Dave Veale's body language and nonverbal skills! You can watch it here.