Power-ing Forward

In 2007 I had several major loses like the loss of my father to lung cancer and the breakup of my three year relationship.

Though on a more positive note, I gained a Masters degree and loads of life experience.

Yet, somehow looking back it feels like 2007 was a year of loss.

It was during 2008 that I felt ONLY gain. I can hardly look back and see any loses at all. I believe I went from great experience to great experience. I learned a lot and truly felt satisfied.

But what's the point of looking back?

What could I possibly do with the information written above? Sit and smile? Or cry? Or ponder the meaning of gaining and losing?

I often find through coaching that people LOVE looking back, telling stories, and not to mention, they love going over the same scenario over and over again looking for what they may have missed.

In some cases it is important to look back IN ORDER to move forward...but most of the time if we looked through our eyes and not through the back of our head we would gain the momentum to carry us onward.

However, the fact remains clear-we all love to wallow in the past. So if you're going to allow yourself to do so, give it proper time.

Sit down and write. Or share with a friend.

BUT, ask these questions:

What about my past is so interesting in the present?

How can I use my past to send me forward?

What will I do differently as a result of my past experience?

At the end of the day, the simplest way to live is for the present. Enjoy now and get excited for what is to come.

The past is just that…past.

Power of Finding ‘Waldo’ or ‘Wally’

Do you remember the book “Where’s Waldo?” For us North Americans his name was Waldo but in UK he is known as Wally. Whether you called him ‘Waldo’ or ‘Wally’ is irrelevant, the point is that most of us used to spend hours trying to find him on a page full of other characters, unique settings and bright colours. I remember days going by as I sat searching for little Waldo in his red and white stripy shirt and his google-eyed glasses.

Recently I was having a chat with a friend about his direction in life. Like most of my friends who have recently graduated from university, he has no idea what he wants to do. While expressing thoughts about how he feels like he should be doing SOMETHING, he maintains that he just can’t pin point what that SOMETHING is.

Some find it helpful to be rational and practical when planning their future, direction or purpose, but I believe that when one dreams, envisions, and lets their mind expand to see the world of possibilities, they gain the most momentum.

Inside everyone lies this deep sensation that should remind of them of their life’s ‘purpose’. Deeply embedded into what I perceive as our inner core, it sometimes feels hard to reach yet you KNOW it’s there. Similarly, when looking at a page out of “Where’s Waldo” you find it difficult to see him YET you know he is there…somewhere.

Consider a page from “Where’s Waldo?” to be similar to your life and Waldo to be your life’s purpose. When you initially try to find Waldo all you can see are the things that CLOUD your ability to find him. These can be compared to your past experiences and memories – who you used to be and who used to be in your life. In addition, your life is clouded by your present situation – what’s going on and who surrounds you on a day to day basis.

However, there is this beautiful area on your page where your dreams, desires and wants for the future lie. This is often the area that WALDO resides. The biggest problem about finding Waldo is that he evolves and changes from page to page…and from book to book. On one page he may be wearing a hat or glasses and on another he may have a cane. YET, there is always the similarity of his white and red striped shirt.

Consequently, the only way to find Waldo is to look EVERYWHERE on the page.

How do you find your life’s ‘purpose’?

Try SIFTING through all of the ‘crap’ that clouds your mind. Sometimes this means looking into the past and remembering all of your life changing experiences from where you are now, and sometimes this means SIMPLY being aware of the present moment.

Dare to vision. Dare to dream. Dare to be just that little bit different.
And remember, once you find it, it’s like you can’t believe you couldn’t see it.