Cleared for Take-Off!

When sitting in a plane while on a runway, I enjoy awaiting the time when the captain breaks through the din of chatter around me to say, "We've been cleared for take-off. Please be sure your seatbelts are fastened." I almost always break into a grin, anticipating the surge forward.

A similar feeling overcomes me when I've let myself relax into tense circumstances, especially after I remind myself that I only need trust that I can handle a situation and then it happens that way.

Recently I had two instances of this while coaching. The first was a group scenario that included going deep to uncover some sensitive information. My old self works to avoid tough conversations, either by not going there or by cramming the moment full of information to steer conversation to the palatable rather than the meaningful. Yet when I'm focusing on the impact I want to make instead of the comfort I'm seeking, my mind is clear and I'm able to navigate through the otherwise cloudy circumstances, encouraging hopeful possibilities to open up.

Such was the case with the group above. When I sat back, relaxing into the moment ahead, I had clarity. My focus was sharp and I could be fed the information I needed to help the group resolve its issues. And this happened without stress - with blue skies seemingly ahead.

A second case is when I approached a circumstance new to me in my coaching. A gentleman asked for guidance in helping him renew faith in himself. Having lost many things in his life recently, he decided it was finally time to ask for help. The new piece here for me was in helping him find his value, for he truly lost it. While approaching this client, I just let my past old processes go, telling myself I must be open to the moment, open to letting him talk. From this approach I hoped whatever I needed to respond to while helping him would become clear.

It did. Relaxing into letting him share, helping him clarify things he really wanted to simplify was the key, in this case. I saw what I needed to see and he walked away with something concrete. Consequently, I walked away once again renewed in the belief that we were lifting off - simply because I didn't get in my own way, nor in his.