July Inspired Leap™ "Ah-Ha!" Newsletter
July 16, 2007
Topics Covered This Month
- Quote of the Month
- Upcoming Workshops and Retreats
- Thrive Instead of Survive
- The Remaking of Al Gore
- Rising From Devastating Loss: Beverly Ann Kearney
- A Different View of Failure
- Final Thoughts on The Choices You Make
Dear Dianna
I confess I am one of those people who enjoys the Harry Potter books and movies, so when a TV station recently re-ran all of the old movies, I found myself watching them again. At the end of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, I was struck by the power of a statement made by the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Albus Dumbledore, to Harry. After Harry shared his concerns about the similarities between him and the evil wizard, Lord Voldemort, Dumbledore reminded him that "It is not our abilities that show what we truly are, it is our choices."
What choices define and shape you? Are there new choices you can make today to change the direction of your life? Read on to be inspired by some powerful choices others have made.
Quote of the Month
I coach from empowerment. I try not to get you to believe in me, in it, in a process: but to believe in you. Whether you're shooting the ball, running down the track or sitting in a corporate office - it all comes down to you. It's how you use what you have together with what's in your heart.—Bev Kearney, University of Texas Women's Track and Field Head Coach, as quoted in the July 2007 Austin Woman Magazine article, Believe It, Speak It, Do It, p. 50 [written by my friend, Julie Tereshchuk].
Upcoming Workshops and Retreats
Thrive Instead of Survive
Some people ultimately thrive in painful situations, while others of us flounder, grow bitter, and shrink. We're all going to experience our share of difficulties. We might fail at something, embarrass ourselves in front of people who matter to us, deal with personal loss, or be forced to handle disappointments and set backs in our careers. These challenges may look different for each of us, but there's no getting around the fact that we're going to go through them.
After hearing some amazing stories this past month, I think there are more of us that ultimately thrive than barely survive. We all have the potential to rise above the challenges we face, but like Harry Potter, it will be our choices in those dark moments that reveal who we are and direct our future.
Even if we have the potential to make great choices, there are clearly times we all need a bit of inspiration to remind us of what's within us. Are you stuck in some area of your life? Or, do you simply have some doubts about your ability to achieve your dreams? I hope the stories below can help you make good choices when the only choice you want to make is to pull the covers over your head and stay in bed.
The Remaking of Al Gore
Whether you like him and his politics or not, it's hard not to admire the way Al Gore has come back from a bitter, public defeat. As Ellen McGirt states in her article, Al Gore's $100 Million Dollar Makeover, in the July/August 2007 issue of Fast Company: "Not long ago, he was the butt of jokes—lockbox, earth tones, a post-election beard. Then he dusted off an old slide show and jumped with both feet into the private sector."[p.71]
McGirt's fascinating article reveals that Gore is making tons of money and having the time of his life working in the private sector and partnering with Hollywood. It's as if the lost election was the best thing that ever happened to him—he can be himself now and be rewarded for it.
In one telling segment, Ellen McGirt talks about showing up to interview Gore (they had met before) the day after he was interviewed for a PBS political show. When she started their conversation talking about politics, Gore had his "game face on." (Interestingly, I've heard analysts talk about Gore's stiffness and game face being a big reason he couldn't reach enough voters.) When the talk switched to his current work, he visibly lightened up and got animated.
One problem he had in politics, he says, was identifying an issue too early—"'predawn' is the term I use"—to be able to act on it. But "in the business world, particularly at a time when things are moving so swiftly, if you can see it early, you can make a business opportunity out of it." He pauses. "For whatever reason, the business world rewards a long-term perspective more than the political world does." [p. 74]Gore found out that a talent that was a source of frustration and a liability in the political world was a gift in the business world. Can you imagine the joy that must bring him? Without getting into the "what ifs" of the outcome of the presidential race, could it be that Gore's big failure was a HUGE gift for him, his family, and, potentially, the world? Whatever your beliefs about global warming, it's hard to deny the need for intelligent discussion on the subject. Would that have happened by now if Gore hadn't been defeated and required to reinvent himself? What if he'd chosen to quietly fade in the background, too embarrassed by the negative publicity to take another risk?
When you feel trapped by your fear of failure or of losing, consider the transformation of Al Gore. What if you did lose? What if that was exactly what needed to happen to propel you to the work and life of your dreams? If you don't go for what you think you want, you might never stumble and find out what it is you really want.
Rising From Devastating Loss: Beverly Ann Kearney
Bev Kearney's story, beautifully shared by Julie Tereshchuk in the July 2007 issue of Austin Woman Magazine, is truly inspiring. A dynamic, warm, successful track and field head coach at the University of Texas, Kearney was on top of the world when she headed for Walt Disney World, with close friends, for a well-deserved vacation in December, 2002. In the blink of an eye, everything changed when the car she was riding in rolled over several times in a terrible accident. Two of her friends died.
Kearney, airlifted to a local hospital for emergency surgery to repair two dislocated vertebrae in her lower back, was listed in critical condition and given only a 50 percent chance of ever walking again.Four years, three surgeries, hundreds of hours of physical therapy and an immeasurable amount of spirit later, Kearney can walk - even if a tad ungainly - without assistance. [p. 48, emphasis added]
Kearney didn't just leap over the physical odds; she leapt beyond her prior coaching successes, as her teams have gone on to win the outdoor national championship in 2005 and the indoor national championship in 2006! Through her coaching, speaking, and non-profit work, including her foundation, Pursuit of Dreams, Kearney has had a profound, positive impact on thousands of people.
She didn't choose the accident and the loss of women she loved. She just took what was in front of her, worked with it, created new goals, and moved forward. According to Joe Dispenza, chiropractor and author of Evolve Your Brain, Kearney's success is no surprise. He suffered a terrible accident too and healed himself beyond anyone's expectations.
Dispenza has gone on to study people who have regained their health beyond all medical expectation. He found that people like Kearney achieve phenomenal results because they literally see, feel, and believe their goal into reality. They inherently understand what scientists are now realizing is true—we literally have the ability to rewire our brains to deliver the physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional changes we desire.
As human beings, we have the privilege to make our thoughts more real than anything else, and when we do, the brain records those impressions in the deep folds of its tissues. Mastering this skill is what allows us to begin to rewire our brain and change our life. [p. 53, Evolve Your Brain]I believe Kearney's indomitable spirit and inner knowing of this truth enabled her to achieve such tremendous, positive results in only five years after a life-altering accident. In Julie Tereshchuk's article, Kearney is quoted as saying, "Every year I go out to win. I can be ranked 25th and in my mind I've got a chance. And I have to believe that to go after it. Because I believed it, I finished 8th. What if I didn't believe?" [p.50, Austin Woman Magazine, July 2007).
Sounds to me like Bev Kearney is a master of making her positive thoughts more real than anything else. Are you? If not, perhaps the most important choice you can make is to be aware of the thoughts you think and make a conscious decision to change the ones you don't like.
A Different View of Failure
Sometimes choosing to acknowledge the possibility of failure or to see failure differently is the critical choice that needs to be made. Have you ever avoided taking a risk because of the fear of failure, especially another failure on top of one you recently experienced? Bev Kearney "doesn't think about failure as a possibility." I'd like to be there, but can't say that I am. However, I am getting better at talking myself through the fear.
I usually begin with creating a "what's the worst that can happen" scenario, then I assess the probabilty of it occuring and determine if I can live with that outcome. Rarely is the worst case scenario too big to handle. This process gives me the courage to move ahead. I also check in with my intuition regularly and trust it to guide me forward.
Sometimes the fear comes even when the next step appears obvious. Clients tell me their intuition can clearly point to a next step, but they fear that the intuitive answer isn't accurate, or not even intuition. These clients look at past decisions they made based on intuition that ultimately resulted in failure or disappointment. Doubt creeps in, so they remain trapped in the status quo.
While some might argue that intuition can lead you astray—that potential intuitive errors are just risks of working with intuition, I would like you to consider two other possibilities. First, perhaps my clients weren't heeding intuition, but were unconsciously following wishful or fearful thinking in those times they thought their intuition failed them.
Finally, consider the possibility that their intuition might have been dead on —the resulting failure was exactly what was needed to clear the way for the ultimate victory. Like Thomas Edison who looked upon all of his failures as successes because they brought him closer to the right answer in creating the light bulb. Look back on some of your biggest mistakes or failures. Did they lead to something so much better? Remind yourself of that the next time you hesitate to make a choice or move forward because of a fear of failure.
Final Thoughts on The Choices You Make
As you enjoy your summer and any vacations you've got planned, take a moment to ponder how the choices made by Al Gore and Beverly Kearney helped them transform their lives. Are you happy with the choices you've made so far this year? If so, celebrate! If not, begin to make new ones. The smallest new choice or step is the beginning of retraining your brain to make different, more positive choices automatically.
That's the great thing about choices—we've always got so many new ones to make. By focusing on the new choices, you stay in the present moment, where all of your power is.
With encouragement to leap ahead,
Dianna Amorde
President,
Inspired Leap Consulting Inc.Comments or questions about this newsletter? Email me at damorde@inspiredleap.com.
I look forward to hearing from you.. . .
If your company needs help with inspiring employees to reach new heights in productivity, creativity, morale, and integrity, please contact us at inspiredleap.com or 512-236-0090. If you need some more inspiration or more regular nudging to practice these steps, check out our website to see what's new to inspire you (a visit to The Quiet Room may be just what you need!).