Ambitious people are generally very goal-centric.
What I mean by this is that they are extremely
action-oriented, but it's not just for the sake of being in
action. The actions are usually part of a plan, an "in
order to" that leads to a goal or an end point.
In my experience as a coach, those goals and end
points are not ends in themselves, and this is where
the commonality lies between the ultra ambitious and
the "horizontal". What all of us really strive for is how
we want to feel, and achieving goals is
frequently seen as a way to get that elusive feeling
we're looking for.
That desired feeling can be a sense of achievement,
of security, increased self-confidence, self-worth,
happiness, or a number of other similar such feelings.
Here's what's interesting, to me anyway. All of those
feelings are available to you right now. You don't need
to fight, struggle and sweat "in order to" get them.
Here's how I can prove it.
What I'd like you to do is to cast your mind back and
remember a time that was one of the highest points,
one of the best moments or peak experiences in your
life.
Now, do what you need to do to see yourself doing
what it was you were doing at that moment in time.
Also, see everyone and everything else that was
around you.
What can you see? What colours are there? What
expressions are on people's faces? Is it light,
bright, inside, outside? What can you hear?
Now, I'd like you to imagine yourself stepping into your
body in that time and place, experiencing
everything first hand rather than as an observer. Once
you really feel yourself there, hear what you are saying
to yourself. What do you feel like? Stay in that
perspective and really see, hear, smell, taste and feel
everything that is there to experience.
When you have done that, come back to the here and
now. How are your feelings of achievement, of
security, self-confidence, self-worth and happiness
now? How do they compare with a few minutes ago?
What you have just demonstrated is one of a number
of techniques that can help you get what you want right
now. You can go back and do this again any time you
need a boost in one of these feelings.
You see, there is nowhere you need to go to feel the
feelings that you want. They are all available here, now.
I'm not saying that you should just give up and not do
anything. What is important is to do what you're doing
for the sake of doing it, and experiencing the doing of
it, and not just because of an "in order to".
To paraphrase a good friend of mine, we are all here
to experience whatever life has to offer. When we miss
out on that experience, whether it seems positive or
negative at the time, we are missing out on life in all
its richness.
So, have a fantastic summer holiday, wherever you go,
but remember that there's nowhere to go and nothing
to do, it's all right here, right now.
Thanks for reading. See you in September.
" by Ian McDermott & Wendy
Jago. This is the best of all Ian McDermott's books
that I have read so far. It is about building a
relationship with your "other-than-conscious" mind,
and tapping into the wisdom that resides
there. Very, very powerful stuff! *****
" - Sound Sanctuary. Toby and the boys
at their best! You can also buy it and listen to a
soundbite if you have access to iTunes. There is an
album that goes with this too, but for now it's only
available if you go and see them.
*****
