I’ve Always Wanted To…

My friend and colleague Penni Wild is applying to be considered to host an Oprah Winfrey show. Penni and I took our coaching and teacher training programs together.

She needs votes.

So watch her clip and  if you are inspired please vote.

Here is the link and her message.

http://myown.oprah.com/audition/index.html?request=video_details&response_id=13322&promo_id=1

Help me get over the top in votes!

Please!  Be sure to HIT THE GREEN “VOTE” button – views don’t count.

Go vote NOW!  The window for voting ends at midnight, July 3^rd.

What If I Am Wrong?

Last weekend I was moved by a most powerful story.  Michael Stratford told our group about a particularly low point in his life when everything was going wrong and he felt that his life was not worth living.

He found himself on a ledge 30 some floors off the ground, deciding that his life was not worth living and intending to jump.

But three thoughts kept him from doing it.

The first was – Did he want his son to have the stigma of having a father that committed suicide?

The second was – Did he want people to have to clean up the mess as he splattered over the concrete?

And the third was – What If I am wrong?  Maybe life is worth living…

He came down from the ledge and checked himself into a mental institution.

While there he completed a 10,000 piece puzzle. He did not do it in the traditional way where you do the outside edges first and then put the easy parts together and then do the sky last.  He picked one piece and built the puzzle around it one piece at a time.  He was putting his life back together one piece at at time.

When it was complete, he decided that he was not crazy and called his therapist.  Since he entered the institution voluntarily he checked himself out.

The contribution that Michael has made to this world is phenomenal. He is a master coach.

He has coached and trained thousands of coaches and professionals.  And these people are making an amazing difference in the world.  He has a quirky view of the world that is refreshing and inspiring. He has attracted the partner of his dreams after two wrong turns. He is attracting the resources to live the life of his dreams.

I know that I wouldn’t be the same person or coach if he hadn’t decided that he was wrong.

Ask yourself the question…

What if I am Wrong?

Wrong about myself and what I am here to do?

Wrong abut whether I am “good enough”  ” smart enough” “competent enough” to …?

Wrong about my child who has lost their way?

Wrong about anyone?

Wrong about the environment?

Wrong about … you fill in the blank.

Answering this question will free you.

It is so easy to get hooked by so-called “reality” – we can’t see the possibility in the situation.

Please comment below and share your thoughts and your stories.

Sneak Peak

Michael and I will co-creating a new project.  So far it is in it’s infancy and I will let you know soon.  I will tell you that it came in the answer to me holding the question “What if I am wrong?” and the second one “What is my major league game?” (maybe a good topic for another post )

Stay tuned.

Life is Worth Living…

Serenity

Sometimes after a coaching session I offer a deck of inspirational cards for the client to pick one.

Often it is almost creepy how accurate and poignant the message is in relation to the topic that we discussed.

This card has come up a few times in the last while so I thought I would share it with you in hopes of it giving you a message as well.

I took this photo on our property and thought it was appropriate to include.  http://www.goldenpathwaysbb.com

Enjoy!

Serenity

Serenity bestows inner peace, tranquility and calmness of mind.

When you feel serene, you are your own person, for nothing and no one can bother, upset or influence you.

You are like a calm, clear lake – beautiful and peaceful to be with.

Your quiet radiance brings hope and support to those who come from within your aura.

You attract respect and love from others, for all are calmed by you.

As you become deeply serene and still you connect to the higher powers of the Universe for divine guidance and your path in the life becomes smooth and flowing.

Quietly ask you angel to hold you in serenity.

Affirmation

I am serene and still.

Invitation

There are a couple of seats left in the workshop this weekend – http://www.gameurbuilt4.com or watch Michael Stratford on You Tube http://bit.ly/aBSPy5 We would love to have you.

99 Years of Marriage

On June 7th, David and I were married 35 years.

Last Monday we invited our maid of honour (my sister Adrianna and Peter) and our best man (Murray and Sandy) for a romantic getaway at the Sir William Mackenzie Inn in Kirkfield. It is a lovely place steeped in history.

Adrianna and Peter are married 30 years in July and Murray and Sandra are married 34 years in October – hence the 99 years of marriage among the 6 of us!

Our kids (28-30-32)  made us a basket of memories with songs, news, technology, prices of 1975  that we opened at the inn.  The most touching was a list of 35 Things That Stand Out During Our Part of Your Last 35 Years.

They listed their memories. Here are few items from the list:

• Supper in the field with dad
• Family meetings
• Orange couch and floor (definitely the early 80’s )
• Putting wood in the basement
• Barn Reno’s (parties at the Whittington’s)
• Tongue twisters – Animals of North America
• Height measurements in the doorway
• Sam, Gerty and Jan – our first cows
• If you are going to HOOT with the Owls at night you can SING with the birds in the morning
• Our first Car – the moving couch, then the Unbird, chanting “Daddy’s keys, Daddy’s car”
• Identifying tree and leaf types
• Building the cabin in the woods
• 4-H Calves: Dacor, Cinnamon, Ambria, Amber, Canadian
• Annual first day of school picture with our tree (we planted a blue spruce when each child was born)
• Sunday picnics at the river
• Playing games as a family

They ended with “Thank you for teaching us the importance of family. We will remember all of these times and lessons as we begin to start our own.”

David and I are blessed – with our children, each other and now our grandchildren.

Thanks kids for reminding us all that it is the little things that are part of everyday life that  make a difference.  The list was not full of gifts and expensive holidays – it was more about everyday  living and being who we are. A good reminder for all of us.

Clear Your Fear

Are you afraid of your brilliance?

I have to be honest.  I am.

Or I was…

One of the benefits of being a coach mentor in the coach school that I was trained in is … (this means I coach three new coaches every session)

Is that I can partake in the advanced coach training sessions and I get to keep working on my stuff.

It is interesting how the last class we as a group stumbled on this and how many people had this fear,

It seemed that it was very common to have that fear in the pit of our gut and at the same time – a calling to do more, be more, take a risk.

I have talked to several people who have great ideas bubbling inside of them – even inspite of themselves.

Fear is soooo paralyzing and soooo easy to clear when you use the Pure Awareness techniques.

When the fear is gone, then your intuition, your clarity and your wisdom can kick in.

If you need a little help…

Consider attending this Plrkshop! (where it will be fun and safe to clear your fear!)

Watch this video http://gameurbuilt4.com

Or give me a call 705-745-4006

Clear the fear,

Cora

Are You Playing the Game That UR Built 4?

I would love to have you come play with us…

“F” Stands for…

“F” is an interesting letter.  It is interesting how the poor letter has unintentionally become a symbol of so many things. Not all of them are positive.

While there are several possible articles on the letter “F” – let’s look at “Failure”.  For many of us, an “F” was not a good thing to receive in school, in work or in life.  We all have many examples where people in authority have pointed out our flaws and mistakes.  Just reading about this is probably bringing up some feelings and memories.

My biggest freedom in my life was when I shifted from “F” stands for Failure to “F” standing for Feedback.

Now when someone gives me “Feedback” even if it is rife with judgment or criticism I started looking for the nugget of truth, accept my responsibility for the nugget and automatically become more intentional of what I want. I ignore their delivery or their part in it.  I am not always successful right away but eventually when I shift to this approach, magical things happen.

But to be honest, I don’t get much of that old style criticism anymore.  What I do get is loving, sincere information that helps me get better.

Last week, I put out a video with a very powerful message but a poor delivery.  Part of me knew that and part of me just wanted to play with what would come up if I did something less than perfect.  There is so much that I haven’t done because I wanted it to be perfect. I tried to cover up myself with music and flying in letters.  And it didn’t work.

7  beautiful people sent me e-mails with lists of  suggestions for how I could do it better. And I sooooo appreciate that.  It is interesting to observe my internal response.  There was part of me that wanted to beat myself up for putting something out that was mediocre. Some old stuff was still there.  And there was part of me that was truly OK with it.  And there is a part of me that can’t wait to try some new ideas.

On the day that I did the first video, I created a second one.  It was my second go so I was definitely more animated and present.  I am still working on my recording and technical jitters and playing with different ways of presenting. I did however create it without the distracting music and fonts. (Thanks friends )

Should I have posted the mediocre video – maybe not or maybe… it was the perfect thing to do.  Sometimes our “screw-ups” are perfect.  I have seen so many times in my life and clients when that less than perfect situation became perfect.  My coaching teachers Wendy Down, Michael Stratford, and Tom Stone taught me something very important. They told me that it was not up to me to judge whether something was right or wrong, good or bad, perfect or imperfect.

Sometimes it is the imperfections that teach us the most.

This video is going to be released in tomorrow’s blog – but you can watch it today if you are inspired! (see below)

Remember to register for the productivity upgrade teleseminar series where we will learn much more about all of this.

http://www.unravelthemysterynow.com

Wishing you a wondrous life,

Cora

WE Never Get It Done

We all wish that something could be different or better in our lives. We can even – sometimes – imagine it in our mind’s eye.

But then something doesn’t go the way we had hoped and we hit the terror barrier and go scurrying back to our comfort zone.

Watch this video and understand why this is a normal experience. Actually, the big win is when we accept this phase as part of the process and move through it rather than back to our limited world.

This is a snippit of what you will learn in our 4 session teleseminar series

http://www.unravelthemysterynow.com

“If you want to know whether you have stuff to work on… Just go home for the weekend”

Wow, have I found this to be true! Some of my clients and friends say that they even don’t have to go home – they just need to think about home and they get triggered.

Why is this so?  So many of us have come a long way in our communication and people skills.  In parts of our lives, we can handle the uncertainty, problem solve and have unlimited patience.  Then we get a call from a family member and here come those old feelings and behaviours.

To understand this phenomenon, it is helpful to re-examine the source of our conditioning and how Pure Awareness Techniques can address this.

What to Do About It

Before we can resolve this conditioning, it is important to understand that “Everything is Energy!” Scientists can show us that every solid item, in fact, everything that exists can be microscopically examined to the tiniest particle of energy.  This includes limiting beliefs and emotional experiences.

It is not hard to figure this out.  Just scan your body and notice where you feel the anger, insecurity or fear.  It will be in your stomach, shoulders or somewhere.  And depending whether we are responding unconsciously from our childhood programming or consciously from our adult learning, we will respond differently. We can feel the emotion in our body.

The Human Computer

To further understand our conditioning we can use the metaphor of a computer because computers were designed to replicate the human brain.  Believe it or not, our conditioning is just faulty human software.

It all begins in childhood. It doesn’t matter whether we got yelled at for spilling the milk or a more intense experience.  Our young brain goes inside and says, “I don’t like this feeling, I think I will not feel so much”.  First it is important to understand that is the spindle cells in our brain that process emotion. When we are children we do not have as many spindle cells as we do when we get older.

But the damage is done. The software of “I’m not good enough” and the desire to avoid intense feelings is installed.   Put several of these experiences together and we have the equivalent of too many open files on our computer.  We all know what too many open files do to our computer; it either slows down or crashes. As humans we also can get overwhelmed or desire to shut down our system. Has this ever happened to you?

So what happens when we go home?  Old open files and software get triggered and sometimes you hear your six or sixteen year old voice respond to the presenting situation.  You may over-react or shut down completely.

When this happens we really are not responding to the present situation.  We are responding to what this current tone of voice, comment or conflict reminds me of that is unresolved from the past.

Your adult brain may not even approve of your response but you do it anyway.  Talk about an internal conflict!

Why Just Talking About It Is Not Enough

Many of us have tried talking about our “problems” hoping to solve them. Yet we still feel emotion in our bodies and experience repeating patterns. It doesn’t seem to go away.

Again, using the metaphor of the computer, we know that being able to identify the virus and outdated software on our computer won’t get rid of it.  We can name it, we know when it showed up and willing the computer to change will not remove the virus or update the software. You have to run a virus removal program and sometime install an upgraded program.

But if you are like many people you have tried traditional methods of trying to identifying factors and causes in dealing with the past. The problem is that the feelings are still in the body. And all the talking does not change it. For many it is time to try something different.

Pure Awareness Techniques – The Virus Removal Process

There is a new emerging science that can address what previously took years to resolve. Pure Awareness techniques can help us release emotional pain and stress through mind/body energy techniques, and can be an effective tool for completing open files.  When the open files are complete, we are calmer and calmness brings options.  And this can be done very quickly.

As a Leadership and Life coach specializing in this field, I have done over 5000 coaching sessions using a specific protocol and the Pure Awareness techniques. This is what I have come to expect.

• Physical sensations of distress (such as tense muscles, racing heart, lumps in the throat or sensations in the pit of the stomach) are alleviated.
• Disturbed thought processes (such distorted perceptions and catastrophic expectations) are normalized.
• Negative emotions (fear, panic, anger, helplessness, confusion, etc.) are replaced by inner peace.
• Unhelpful behavioural tendencies (flight or fight or freeze responses, for example) are corrected. All of this can be achieved using the natural resources of the body’s energetic system.

These changes often happen within only minutes, and yet the inner transformation is often profound and enduring. There is a large generalization effect of completing old files – meaning that the dealing of one issue often causes resolution in many other issues (a real bonus!).

After correcting problems energetically, clients report common experiences. They say things like the following:

	“It doesn’t bother me anymore – I can’t feel it.” “I can’t quite find it – it seems very distant now.” “I see it, but it doesn’t seem to have anything to do with me.” “It’s gone.” “It’s O.K. now. It’s all over.” “I feel calm.” “I don’t care about it anymore – it’s not important.” “I’m not afraid anymore; I feel fine.” “I don’t feel that way now.”

The specialized coaching process and Pure Awareness techniques can be used to treat a large array of distressing symptoms including the following types of problems and more:

	worries, fears, anxieties and phobias painful memories, grief and traumatic experiences stress, burnout, exhaustion anger, rage, resentment, irritability moodiness, sadness, depression insecurity, low self-worth relationship difficulties performance issues limiting beliefs

I am in the business of helping people upgrade their old outdated software…Imagine going into a family or work situation without being triggered or reduced to a small child or a teenager …what a gift to yourself.

If you are triggered by old family dynamics, a colleague or you just want to upgrade your software, call me for a free introductory coaching session.  705-745-4006 or email cw@goldenpathways.ca

It may be time to upgrade your inner human software.

Make 2010 your best year ever,

With warmest regards,

Cora Whittington

Use Nature’s Metaphor to Answer Your Question

You have been working hard.  Your mind is full of new concepts.  It may feel fuzzy or perhaps discombobulating.  It isn’t that you are opposed to anything.  It is just that you need something to help you pull it all together.

I  invite you to take  a walk outside.  You may walk by yourself or with a companion but I ask you to be silent and watchful.  Before you leave, silently ask a question that you are seeking an answer to. As you walk you will see nature all around you.  Nature speaks to us and helps us unscramble by offering us metaphors.

A metaphor is a symbolic representation of something.  Today you will look for a metaphor in nature (a leaf, or twig, or flower, or stone, or …. any of the million metaphors nature has to offer us).  The metaphor will represent a part or all of your process so far.

IF it is retrievable, bring it back with you.  If it isn’t (a tree or a wild orchid that shouldn’t be picked) create a mental picture and do a little sketch.

When you return,  share with us the metaphor.  You will note that we will all add to your explanation and we will all gain from everyone’s metaphor.  Metaphors help us go deeper, synthesize what we already know and gain wonderful insights.

Have fun!

Coach Cora

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