in this issue
The Great Funnel
A wise friend of mine(Rob Kleinman) once said to
me that life is like a funnel. You can't help
but do what you love and were meant to do. I'm
not sure if this is exactly true, but I do think
that life continues to draw us in the direction
of what we are meant to do. In my experience I
notice that I can only stay off course so long
before life pulls/pushes me back in the
direction of my dreams and aspirations.
Quick Links...
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Dear Robert,
Hello All!,
Welcome to our new subscribers!
It's been a very busy
and exciting month for me. Someone once told me
that summer is for relaxation. I guess that
didn't quite settle in. I've been very busy, but
that's been great.
I really appreciate the fact that many of you
have been
spreading the word about my newsletter. If you know
anyone who you think will benefit from this,
please hit
forward at the bottom and they can recieve a
copy.
Let's get to it.
Enjoy!,
Rob
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Inside out.
When I first
attended graduate school, my life
was pretty hectic. It was great at first. There
were new people I was meeting. I was taking a
bunch of interesting classes, and I was living
in San Diego which was just beautiful. After a
few weeks something started to change.
My work started piling up. I had a part-time job
that took a good bit of my time. The beautiful
setting of California began to collapse into my
desk which was cluttered with more and more
papers. At a certain point I was hitting a
breaking point. I decided to go for a walk
around the campus.
I started walking near one of my favorite cafes
and I began to follow a path around the back.
This hooked around to another building. There I
found this concrete slab/bench that had a view
of some of the Eucalyptus trees and various
bushes that were planted there. It also had a
view of the walking path near by where I could
see some people stroll by.
I sat there for a while and cleared my head. I
enjoyed taking in the view around me and got
very comfortable where I was. Very soon I felt
like myself again. In this moment, I was able to
notice the part of myself that's always there
even in the midst of all the turmoil I had been
experiencing. I also began to get some clarity
about how to sort through the many things I was
facing at that time.
Amazing things can happen when we're still.
Whether you're planning your future, attempting
to solve a problem or simply taking a break,
spending a moment to quiet down, breath and
connect with your inside can have a profound
effect. When you think about it, everything we
do begins on the inside.
As I continued my studies, I returned to this
slab and state of mind often. To this day I'll
visit that place when I'm in the area. I also
seek out similar places wherever I'm traveling.
(The picture above is from a wonderful walk in
Japan.) Many times however, I sit wherever I
find myself and go back to the slab in my head.
That usually does the trick.
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Accessing the inside:
1. Take a moment and quiet down. Take several
deep breaths. Notice whatever is going on in
your mind. What thoughts are present? What are
you feeling in your body? Whatever is there,
allow yourself to feel it or experience it for a
moment so that it can pass through you. Many
people experience some unwanted feeling like
boredom or anxiety and immediately get busy
again. If you stay with these for a moment,
you'll notice that you can move through them to
calm, clarity and refreshed energy.
2. Take a moment to find a place at home or near
where you live where you can sit quietly and
recharge your batteries. Find somewhere that
feels good to you and that pleases your senses.
Choose a regular time during your day or week to
spend a few moments there. In time, I think
you'll find that quieting down and recharging
will come very easily as you build this ritual.
3. Spend a few moments quietly. Again, notice
what thoughts come up. What, if anything
distracts your attention from being in this
moment. Jot down any thoughts or concerns that
require your attention. Next to each item write
a time when you will attend to it. When you're
finished you'll find that you're able to sit and
enjoy the moment with very little distraction.
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Modeling, Modeling, Modeling
Drew Rozell(See Links) and I are putting the
final touches on his model of 'feeling
comfortable in your own skin.' It's been
fascinating to find out what types of thinking
go into this quality.
For me, modeling so far has been an amazing
journey into how people think and behave to do
the things that seem to come so naturally to
them. Without exception, I have found that every
person I've begun modeling has had some amazing
gems about how they look at and interact with
life. Modeling, like anything else is a
skill. Little by little I'm getting the hang of
it. Eliciting the model is just the first step.
Taking the model on for yourself, or teaching it
to someone else also take a bit of practice. In
the end, it's quite a bit of work, but very
rewarding.
I've been continuing to ask people the magic
question. 'If you could model anything, what
would you
pick?'
I would appreciate any more suggestions. Feel
free to
shoot me an email with any of your desired skills,
abilities and qualities.
More on David Gordon and Modeling »
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Question of the Month
The question of the month is 'if you could take
on some new challenge or risk in your life, what
would that be?'
Please send me an email with your answers and
let me
know if I can include it in an upcoming newsletter.
Rob@todaycoach.com
That's all for now. Wishing you all a great
month!
Rob
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