Change the World by Fulfilling your Role

Who doesn’t want to change the world? I imagine most of us wish things would seem better. We wish we could do something dramatic and monumental to change things for the better. And yet, most of us are taught adages like the one in the image above, that wisdom and life experience will teach us how the best way to bring about change is to make changes to oneself. Through these changes, we might find that we are doing our personal part, fulfilling our life’s mission and through our work and changed approach, we are in fact changing the world around us.

“When we fulfill our divine mission in the world, we elevate not merely ourselves and our immediate surroundings, but ultimately also the entire cosmos (Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook)” 

RCA Siddur Avodat HaLev P. 20

In my work with others, I often find that one of the biggest barriers to success and to change is spending too much time looking outwards. We all know the harms of comparing ourselves to the images put out on social media. We get lost in the shuffle of seeing the fun, the excitement, the slick marketing. We start to day dream and wonder and feel a sense of jealousy. And then we go down the rabbit hole of beating ourselves up for not being like…

A lot of the work of coaching others through challenging points in life is helping them look back inside. This comes about through exploration, creating space for the client to do self-detective work, bringing forth aspects of who they are and who they want to be. This is true in grief work while helping someone navigate the muddy waters of re-emerging into a different world without the deceased. This is true in working with people on self-discovery as they work towards forging a new road along the path of life. This is true for people trying to make a choice, helping them find THE question that will help unlock the door of the decision they wish to make. 

When we have that moment of discovery, that new insight into the life we are trying to live, we are then open to the changes we want to see outwardly as well. Now, of course, there are things we wish we could change that all of this self-discovery and focus won’t change. At least not on our own. Nevertheless, we must do our part, for without it there would be no chance for change at all.

Our mission in this world is to leave it better for the next person. By discovering that each step along the way is not just lifting up ourselves but all those around us, we will hopefully discover some of the change we wish to see.  

It’s a New Year and a new opportunity to start fresh. If you or someone you know is looking to forge ahead and set new goals or trying to find a sense of meaning in life, we are here to help foster a spiritual and emotional growth and change. Contact New Beginnings Spiritual Coaching and Consulting LLC at 732-314-6758 ext. 100 or via email at newbeginningsspiritualcoach@gmail.com

Who is The Real Me

Late yesterday, I updated my Facebook profile picture and cover photo to reflect who I am currently. Interesting that this change got a lot of reactions from my social media feed. This lesson in social media ties into something that I have been thinking about, “who is the real me?” This question relates to how we portray ourselves in public vs. how we see ourselves in private. We live in a very public, open world in our digital age. We live in a world where the majority of us are not just sharing public and private personas in our small communities. Living in a global community requires an increased consciousness of what we want others to see and that most likely moves us further away from our true, inner self that we often show in the privacy of our homes. And if I were to be honest, this is a challenging state to constantly have to navigate.

When we meet new people, are they showing us the glossy website version of themselves, the deep, troubled version or something in between? Sure, meeting a new person and expecting an instant trust is hard to ask of anyone. Yet, why is it that we hide behind an image. We are all guilty of this.

My Spiritual Life Coaching Practice, which is informed by my pastoral/spiritual care training, is also informed by the real, imperfect person that I am. No two people will ever have the same experiences. And, nobody is ever alone in experience, as we all have a well of emotional and spiritual ups and downs we can draw upon to be present with someone else struggling. I believe that if we are to help others discover hope, meaning, New Beginnings in a transitional period in life, we have to meet them from the place of our humanness and vulnerability. We must maintain boundaries with each other and we must find a way to build the trust needed to explore and effect the changes we are looking for when engaging a professional to help in our self discovery.

As I write these words, I realize how so much of this notion of showing the “real” me is predicated on trusting myself to be OK and compassionate to the real, imperfect self that I am. My belief is that each of us is masking our true, real selves behind a mask because we aren’t OK with who we are. Too many of us don’t like the person we see in the mirror, even though we wish we could. And yes, that last line is channeled from an interesting albeit strange self-help practice call the High Five Habit, in which we develop a notion of self-compassion and confidence through literally offering ourselves a high five each morning in the mirror.

May today be the day we begin to foster our self-compassion, trust and acceptance of the person we see in the mirror and may this person be the person we share with others.

Looking to discover your more authentic, spiritually focused self? Let me help you along this path! Contact New Beginnings Spiritual Coaching and Consulting LLC at 732-314-6758 ext. 100 or via email at newbeginningsspiritualcoach@gmail.com